GLEANER: Minister of Education Ruel Reid is urging students to regard investment in their development as propelling them to greatness.

 

He added that investment in “our people” should not be seen as putting resources to waste, and young people who benefit from State support should find ways to give back to their communities and country.

 

The minister was addressing the official launch of the Trench Town Polytechnic College in St Andrew on Wednesday.

 

“What we have invested in you is not for self-aggrandisement; it is to lift you up so you can become a far more productive and useful human being, and you can help to transform our country and make our world a better place,” Reid told the students in attendance.

 

The minister explained that with the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE) now in place for students to remain in the system for up to 13 years, training is being aligned with industries’ needs, and for persons to have it easier in finding jobs and economic opportunities.

 

He said that “giving you skills and certification” is reducing the 67percent of the workforce that has no formal certification, and that over the next seven years, every youth graduating from the education system will be certified in various skills.

 

“ThaTTt is going to revolutionise the Jamaican economy,” the minister told the audience.

 

Meanwhile, Principal of the College, Dr Dosseth Edwards-Watson, told the gathering that much emphasis has been placed on making the new institution a “compassionate environment” and showing that the students are the biggest priority.

 

“If we treat students with care, we will reap better results,” the Principal said.

 

The Trench Town Polytechnic College, the first of its kind in Jamaica, started operations in September 2015 with programmes in continuing education, technical and vocational training, to deliver employable skills to students.

 

CAPTION: Nursing students at the Trench Town Polytechnic College, in St Andrew, pay keen attention to address by Minister of Education Ruel Reid, at a media launch of the College on Wednesday.

JIS: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says there will be 100 per cent placement of all students in full high schools next year.

 

During a visit to The Queen’s School in St. Andrew, on September 12, Senator Reid noted that this will be made possible as a result of expansion being undertaken at certain secondary schools.

 

“You have one per cent in the primary and junior high schools and 99 per cent in a full high school. As of next year, based on the programme of increasing the spaces and expanding the high schools, and converting junior high to high school, we’ll have that 100 per cent,” the Minister said.

 

Senator Reid pointed out that the 100 per cent placement of students in the full high school “will coincide nicely with the end of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT)”.

 

“All our students, for the first time, will be getting a full high-school education from grade seven,” he indicated.

 

Additionally, the Minister informed that come next year, the high-school years will be extended from five to seven, which will give every student, “by the time they graduate, the equivalent of an associate degree”.

 

Senator Reid noted that such a move will result in the reduction of unattached youth or students being left behind.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister said science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses of study are to be incentivised.

 

“It is important for us to incentivise to get a work-ready (labour) force. A lot of students may want to pursue these courses, but there are financial challenges. So, we have to make sure there are no barriers to accessing the Students’ Loan Bureau, if that is where they want to go, or there are particular persons we can offer scholarships,” he said.

 

Senator Reid said the Ministry will be working in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation “to target areas dealing with engineering”.

 

“We are very short on engineers that are very critical for the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) sector, but also for the massive developments that are taking place in manufacturing,” he said.

 

While at the all-girl school, Mr. Reid challenged them to uphold the core values of the school in all spheres of their lives. He was also led on a short tour by Principal, Jennifer Williams.

 

Since the start of the new school year on September 4, the Minister has visited several schools to make sure that everything is in order.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), addresses students of The Queen’s School in Kingston on September 12.

 

JIS: Lead PR1ME Mathematics specialist from Singapore, Kelly Lim Kai Ling, says that Jamaica could become a world leader in mathematics by adopting the teaching methods of the Southeast Asian country.

 

Singapore is regarded as the best in the world in the teaching and learning of mathematics.

 

Ms. Lim Kai Ling was addressing hundreds of primary-school mathematics teachers, coaches and specialists who participated in the Amazing Mathematics Powers workshop held recently at the Shortwood Teachers’ College in Kingston.

 

The participants at the three-day workshop were exposed to the Singaporean approach of teaching mathematics, which focuses more on critical thinking skills and less on drill and practice.

 

Ms. Lim Kai Ling said that Singapore stresses mastery for all of its children, who will have the creative problem-solving skills that the country requires.

 

“Mathematics is the vehicle to approach problem-solving,” she pointed out, noting that the core principles of mathematics are understand the problem, plan your approach to the problem, answer the problem and then check to see if you are correct.

 

She said proficiency in mathematics is a higher indicator of success in life than any other element.

 

According to Ms Lim Kai Ling, research done by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD has shown that classroom size does not matter. Rather, it is the skill of the teacher that is important.

 

In Singapore, there are 40 students to a teacher.

 

Clinical Psychologist and Life Coach in Jamaica, Dr. Rose Johnson, who was a facilitator at the workshop, gave the teachers pointers on how to boost outcomes by improving life in the classroom.

 

They were urged to become effective communicators, which would allow them to foster the natural genius of the children in their charge. She reminded the teachers that they are in the profession because they want to give, and that they are the leaders in the classroom.

 

“Let the students imagine themselves at their best. They will believe it, and then that becomes reality. Disruptive behaviour, many times, has nothing to do with school,” she pointed out.

 

The workshop, endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, was hosted by Book Merchant Limited as part of its Scholastic PR1ME Mathematics Programme and was geared towards training the participants to teach mathematics in Jamaican schools using the Singaporean model and the PRIME Mathematics textbook.

 

PR1ME Mathematics is a world-class programme based on the effective teaching and learning practices of Singapore, Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, which are consistent top performers in international studies.

 

At the completion of the workshop, the participants received joint certification from the Jamaica Teaching Council and Shortwood Teachers’ College.

 

Sponsors included NCB Foundation, JN Bank, Maxie Department Store, National Housing Trust (NHT), Shortwood Teachers’ College, Sagicor Bank, Access Financial, Kris an Charles, Yoga Angels Jamaica, LIME Foundation, Dairy Industries and Rainforest Seafoods.

 

CAPTION: Mathematics teachers listen intently to Lead PR1ME Mathematics Specialist from Singapore, Kelly Lim Kai Ling. Occasion was the Amazing Mathematics Powers workshop, hosted by Book Merchant Limited recently at the Shortwood Teachers’ College in Kingston to expose Jamaican teachers to the Singaporean method of teaching.

 JIS: After successfully conducting an experiment with an all-male grade-six class in 2016, which resulted in an improved performance in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), Mico Practising Primary & Junior High began another experiment earlier this year with grade-nine students, and the school’s administration is pleased with the outcome.

 

For the 2016/2017 academic year, the institution registered 13 students for the first time in the school’s history to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subject, Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM), of which 11 passed – one with a grade two and the others at grade three.

 

The CSEC examinations are usually taken after five years of secondary school by students who are 16 years and older.

 

The students who created history at Mico Practising by passing EPDM are all under the age of 16 years. They are Shenelle Samuels, Grizell Scarlett, Shamari Smith, Taciann Smith, Nasatia West, Jeneale Rose, Ashanty McDermott, Kelvin Paisley, Keanu Jones, Tyecia Lawrence and Ishama Pounall. They all received a grade three pass, except Ishama who got a grade two.

 

They were also part of a group of 100 students from Mico Practising, who sat the Grade Nine Assessment Test (GNAT) in the last academic year, and who all passed the examination and were placed in other high schools.  

 

Shenelle, Grizell, Tyecia and Ishama were placed at Merl Grove High School; Shamari and Nasatia, St. Andrew Technical High; Taciann and Ashanty, Kingston Technical High; Jeneale, Gaynstead High; Kelvin, Excelsior High; and Keanu, José Martí Technical High School.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Principal, Mico Practising, Geraldine Allen, says the idea of students sitting EPDM at CSEC came from Dawn Duckworth, who teaches grades seven and eight at the school.

 

“She didn’t teach grade nine, but she came to me with the idea, so we agreed to enter some grade-nine students. With the help of Dwayne Earl, who is the Information Technology (IT) teacher, we identified the students who were the best performers in IT and used that as the basis to select them,” Ms. Allen notes.

 

“EDPM was chosen because that was the subject we had most resources to focus on. It didn’t require School Based Assessments (SBAs). It didn’t require too much outside of the children’s experience, because they were already doing Information Technology, and some of the areas they did in Library Science. It was thought that (based on) those two factors, they would be able to manage,” she tells JIS News. 

 

Ms. Allen says she is elated at what the children were able to achieve, as they came to Mico Practising at grade seven with minimal GSAT grades.

 

“We are a Junior High School, so we do not get the children who are performing. We get the children who are at the bottom, so I am really proud of them,” Ms. Allen adds.          

 

The Principal says she is also proud of teachers at the school, because without their input, especially from the grade-seven level, the students could not have been successful.

 

“The Junior High teachers work really hard with the students, particularly children who are non-performers,” Ms. Allen says.

 

Based on the students’ success, the Principal says the administrators of the school are considering to register grade-nine students for Human & Social Biology alongside EDPM for the 2018 sitting of CSEC.

 

Meanwhile, Ms. Allen notes that the all-male grade-six class again performed very well in the 2017 examination.

 

“For the students who just graduated (from grade six), the performance was excellent. The boy with the lowest average in that class was 70 per cent, so the boys did really well. Over 20 of them in that class were placed in their first-choice school,” she tells JIS News.

 

In June 2016, the school reported that of the 28 boys who did the GSAT from the all-male class, 22 passed for traditional high schools such as Campion College, Wolmer’s Boys, St. George’s College and Kingston College. The overall top GSAT performer at the school in 2016, Taric Myles, attained a 99 per cent average.

 

Mico Practising has a student population of 1,097.

 

CAPTION: Information Technology teacher at Mico Practising Primary & Junior High School, Dwayne Earle (centre), giving instructions to grade-nine students who will be registered by the institution for the 2018 sitting of Electronic Document Preparation Management in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations

GLEANER: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is working with state agencies to ensure that unattached or at-risk youth in the Mount Salem community of St James are reintegrated into the education or skills-training system.

 

Director of School Safety and Security in the ministry Assistant Superintendent of Police Coleridge Minto said a detailed assessment of the needs of the unattached or at-risk youth in Mount Salem is being done.

 

Speaking during the zone of special operations (ZOSO) community services fair in Mount Salem, on Saturday, Minto said agencies such as HEART Trust/NTA and the Social Development Commission (SDC) would be playing a major role in the push to get these youth back into the formal system.

 

“We are currently doing an assessment to ascertain the number of youth who are deemed unattached or at risk, and once we have that information relating to their education and skills-training needs, we will get them back into the formal system very quickly,” he noted.

 

“We are also working with a number of schools and training institutions so that the reintegration process is seamless. We will ensure that we get a certain level of commitment from the participants that their participation in the formal process is sustained and long term,” Minto said.

 

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT PROGRAMME

 

Region Four director in the ministry, Dr Michelle Pinnock, has expressed optimism that the reintegration programme will be a success.

 

“We have been observing the youth from the community and they are seeking opportunities for further education, and in most instances, training. This programme is being supported by a number of state agencies, and once we receive the necessary data, getting these youth back into school or into a formal training programme will be done almost immediately,” Pinnock said.

 

She added that it is important for the residents to support and participate in the social services being offered under the ZOSO, especially in obtaining a valid identification card.

 

Hundreds of residents from Mount Salem turned out for the two-day social services fair, held at the Mount Salem Primary School.

 

The fair formed part of the social-intervention programme for the Mount Salem community which, on September 1, was declared the first ZOSO under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act. The ZOSO will be in place for 60 days.

GLEANER: The National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL), an agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and information, will be launching three new initiatives, Monday, September 11, aimed at building capacity and improving leadership among a wide range of sector stakeholders.

 

This is being done against the background of the changing education landscape, the growing impact of technology, and the easier access to knowledge which many people have.

 

Acting Principal Director of the NCEL Dr Taneisha Ingleton says that issues in educational leadership today are too complex and information too widely distributed for leaders to try to solve all problems on their own.

 

She explained that regardless of age, experience, and expertise education professionals are expected to continuously access leadership-development interventions to broaden their scope, learn new approaches to navigate serious problems, and offer practical and sustainable solutions.

 

The new programmes are Eye on Leadership, an NCEL NOW blog, and a Webinar.

 

Eye on Leadership is a monthly feature geared at highlighting outstanding educators who have been engaged with the college either by way of having accessed its programmes or would have served as an adjunct staff or partner.

 

It is intended to highlight the high-quality work done by educational practitioners who serve within the Jamaican educational landscape; recognise and reinforce the impact the college has made on the leadership dispositions of these individuals; and to create a network of educational leadership professionals who can communicate within and across the educational landscape, and in so doing, deepen their own understanding and capabilities.

 

NCEL Now

 

The NCEL Leadership Blog – ‘NCEL Now’ – is a leadership-development intervention that will use an online platform to engage in leadership conversations and access information from colleagues on leadership approaches that have proven transformational in their spaces.

 

NCEL’s Webinar

 

The third new programme, NCEL’s webinar is an online leadership development intervention that focuses on the principles, practices, and processes of leading. It is aimed at imparting knowledge and skills to a wide range of leaders across the educational landscape.

 

This will be done via voice/audio, slides, screen sharing. and text chat. It will be organised around specific learning objectives, are identified in advance and which form the basis for relevant webinar content and interaction.

 

– Article courtesy Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture

JIS: The Education, Youth and Information Ministry has established a steering committee to examine and develop an information and communications technology (ICT) plan for the educational sector.

 

Director of Regional Educational Services in the Ministry, Captain Kasan Troupe, said the plan will incorporate all levels of the education system “from early childhood straight through to the tertiary level”.

 

She indicated that as part of the plan “we’re looking at restructuring the programmes of study for our teachers (in training) to make sure they come with that skill set”.

 

“We are aware that, currently, some teachers are very fearful about using technology (but) the children are ready and anxious and they are denied that sometimes because of that fear; so we’re looking at fixing that,” Mrs. Troupe added.

 

She was speaking to JIS News at a function at the Pembroke Hall Primary School in St. Andrew on Friday (September 8) to observe International Literacy Day 2017 under the theme ‘Literacy in a Digital World’.

 

Additionally, Mrs. Troupe informed that all schools will be examined “to determine the basic set of equipment required to operate at a certain level, and that technological devices are made available”.

 

She noted that the Ministry has provided some institutions with funding to equip their computer laboratories and establish virtual learning environments.

 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Troupe noted that Jamaica’s national literacy rate continues to rise to now stand at 86.7 per cent, but more work is needed in the area of numeracy.

 

“We’re generally below where we want to be in numeracy, but literacy has been improving incrementally, annually. We’re really proud of what we have been doing,” she said.

 

In his International Literacy Day Message to the nation, portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, implored Jamaicans to seek opportunities to promote and commit to the advancement of literacy at all levels.

 

he Minister, in the message read by Education Officer in the Primary Unit in Region One, Ewan Williams, urged all stakeholders to work to sustain the achievements made in literacy and to continue to make advancements, so that every child and adult in the country will become even more literate.

 

National Literacy Coordinator, Dr. André Hill, for his part, noted that technology should not only be a means for entertainment but should be a catalyst to empower the nation to become a truly literate society.

 

In her message in observance of International Literacy Day, Director -General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, said partnerships between governments, civil society and the private sector are essential to promote literacy in a digital world.

 

CAPTION: Pembroke Hall Primary School Principal, Norma McNeil (right); and Literacy Programme Coordinator, School of Education, Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Dr. Clement Lambert, look on as students read a book. Occasion was an International Literacy Day function at the Pembroke Hall Primary School in St. Andrew on September 8. The students (from 2nd left) are Ayanna Tyndale of St. Benedict’s Primary School; Adrian Lewis of St. John’s Primary School; and Danee Mills of the Greater Portmore Primary School.

 

JIS: Jamaica will join other countries in celebrating this year’s 51st commemoration of International Literacy Day on Friday, September 8 under the theme ‘Literacy in a Digital World’.

 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) promotes the day to underline the significance of literacy in the development and advancement of all nations globally.

 

In keeping with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s mantra – ‘Every Child Can Learn, Every Child Must Learn’, schools are encouraged to use the day as a national initiative to promote reading and literacy across Jamaica.

 

In a bulletin issued by the Ministry, it was noted that all six education regions will be hosting activities to celebrate the day.

 

Regions one and six will jointly host an event with a national focus. This will be held at the Pembroke Hall Primary School auditorium in St. Andrew and will involve the participation of institutions from both regions.

 

The keynote speaker will be Literacy Programme Coordinator in the School of Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr. Clement Lambert. Other activities by the Ministry include exercises for which students are being encouraged to ‘wear-a-word’ and explore their meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and use them in sentences; students sharing stories and poems with each other from a book, tablet or any other technological device; and youngsters designing posters to raise awareness of literacy and its link to sustaining societies, and displaying these around the school or in their community.

 

Meanwhile, parents, past students and community members are encouraged to visit schools to read to students from their favourite books.

 

Additionally, teachers are urged to assist students in developing an appreciation for the the role of literacy and reading in personal, national and global development.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), skillfully manages to keep the attention of students of Fundaciones El Centro, as he engages them in a reading session at the school’s location in Kingston, on Tuesday, May 9. (File)

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says $698 million is to be disbursed for infrastructure improvements at several primary and secondary schools across the island.

 

“We have been able to carve out of our budget funding that is now going to be able to stretch right across the island,” he informed.

 

“We have a programme for schools to upgrade canteens. There are resources also for information (and) communications technology (ICT) to support teaching and learning. We ask the schools to put the plans in place and make their request early, so we can prioritise and try to cover as many schools as possible,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was speaking during a tour of the August Town Primary School in St. Andrew on September 5.

 

He further informed that discussions are under way with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to provide $55 million in funding over the medium term to develop a comprehensive ICT infrastructure in primary schools.

 

Under this programme, the Ministry will provide laptops, projectors and WI-FI capabilities to facilitate effective teaching and learning.

 

As it relates to primary schools, Senator Reid noted that they have been benefiting from a $210-million maintenance programme announced earlier this year, and resources are also available to provide grants for special projects.

 

August Town Primary is to receive a $5-million grant for improvement works.

 

A similar amount was granted last year for the paving of the school grounds. The institution will continue to benefit from grant support from the Ministry over the next three years.

 

Auust Town Primary is the fifth school visited by the Minister since the start of the new academic year on Monday (Sept. 4).

 

He has already met with students and teachers at Mona Heights Primary, Half-Way-Tree Primary and New Day Primary and Junior High in St. Andrew; and Old Harbour High and Old Harbour Primary in St. Catherine.

 

The Minister is expected to visit the Newell High School in St. Elizabeth on September 7, where he will officially launch the 2017/18 school year.

 

Over the next three weeks, he will tour several schools in the Corporate Area and rural sections of the island.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid.