JIS: Six hundred delegates from nine countries are expected for the 2017 Youth Climate Change Conference, slated for October 10 and 11, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

 

The event will bring together persons from Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Japan for two days of consultations and discussions aimed at heightening their awareness of climate change and identifying youth-led actions and solutions to the challenges associated with this phenomenon.

 

Participants will be engaged in a series of climate advocacy training workshops, presentations, exhibitions and competitions to increase their awareness of the various challenges and proposed solutions.

 

Cash prizes, vouchers, tablets, agricultural equipment and trophies will be awarded to the individual participants, educational/youth organisations and teachers scoring the most points in the competitions.

 

Additionally, three delegates from the participating Caribbean countries will get the opportunity to attend the 2017 United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of Parties (COP 23), which is slated for Germany in November.

 

The youth conference is being co-hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems Adapting to Climate Change II (Ja REEACH II) Project and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

The conference was launched at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters, Mona, St. Andrew, on Tuesday, September 12.

 

In a message read by Director of Communications and Marketing, National Youth Service, Julia Smiley Green, Education, Youth and Information State Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said this year’s conference bears special significance in light of the severe weather events that impacted several small island states within recent weeks.

 

“While there has been a growing awareness of how we are all being affected, recent events would have brought home the reality more forcefully, to our consciousness, of our growing vulnerability to climate change. The devastation of coastlines in northeastern Caribbean territories, Cuba and The Bahamas by Hurricane Irma is but the latest reminder of the danger we all face,” he said.

 

In this regard, Mr. Green stressed the importance of youth involvement in and understanding of global climate-change issues and their impact on the region, in tackling these challenges.

 

“Our young people will, more than ever, (need to) play a bigger role in how our world adapts to these challenges. Young people are quite adept at spreading new habits and technologies at their disposal (and) are well placed to contribute to the fight against climate change. For this, they must be fully aware of what global warming is and what needs to be done to prevent it,” he said.

 

In her remarks, Acting USAID Mission Director in Jamaica, Rebecca Robinson, said succession planning in dealing with extreme weather events, with an emphasis on youth involvement, is critical to spearheading future action against climate change.

 

“Jamaican youth are responding to the call. This is evidenced, not only in the high levels of participation in the previously held conferences in 2014 and 2015, but by a continued formation of youth interest groups focused on climate change and environment issues at the local, regional and international levels,” she said.

 

Ja REEACH II project is a four-year initiative implemented by ACDI/VOCA, which works with government, private sector, civil society and community-based organisations to increase awareness and application of practical actions to make Jamaicans more aware of and resilient to the impact of climate change.

 

CAPTION: Director of Communication and Marketing, National Youth Service, Julia Smiley Green (left), converses with United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Bruno Pouezat, during the launch for the Youth Conference on Climate Change (YCCC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters, Mona, St. Andrew, on Tuesday, September 12. The two-day conference is slated for October 10 and 11 at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry is committed to driving a process whereby every youth in Jamaica will attain the equivalent of an associate degree by the end of grade 13.

 

He said that adequate opportunities are available for every student to remain in the education system for the additional two years.

 

“Some of the programmes we have to take them to grade 13 are the Career Advancement Programme (CAP), Alternative Pathway to Secondary Education; we have programmes under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme – National Youth Service (NYS), where we are merging that into the HEART/Trust NTA programme with the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).”

 

“So…we don’t want to have our vulnerable youth being left behind. We’ve put all of the agencies together so it can catch everybody,” Minister Reid said.

 

He was speaking at the Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) Inc.’s scholarship awards luncheon held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday, (September 13).

 

The Education Minister noted that the qualification and certification attained at the end of grade 13 will enable more students to qualify for tertiary studies or join the workforce.

 

“We have 15 per cent of our workforce having full tertiary certification, but my ambition is education opportunity for all. It means that every youth will have that opportunity for self-actualisation… and we will have no one falling behind, adding to the army of unattached youth that creates all the kind of negative problems that we have in our society,” he said.

 

“Persons will be able to find quality employment earning high levels of income that will lead to the growth, development and prosperity of our country,” he added.

 

At the luncheon, six former wards of the State, who are pursuing degrees at the tertiary level, were awarded scholarships totalling US$22,500 by COJO, which is a diaspora charity based in New York.

 

They are Chantell Campbell, Shantanna Dixon, Aaron Rowe, Kareem Carr, Nickorta Samuels and Gold-Mae Bullock.

 

Minister Reid informed that the Government will be paying the cost for wards of the State and students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) and to sit eight subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

 

He assured the State wards that “once you are earnestly pursuing your educational objectives, we support you right through to university and assist you in transitioning into independent living to find a good job”.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Honourable Ruel Reid

GLEANER: The parish of St Ann has been identified as the area most urgently in need of additional schools as the Ministry of Education makes plans to build five additional schools throughout the island over the next three years.

 

Education Minister Ruel Reid, in an interview with The Gleaner, said that quick infrastructural development is needed in a number of schools, noting that Old Harbour in St Catherine, Manchester, and St James are additional areas that are high on the agenda.

 

“We will also have to target St Ann, specifically the north-west area. That whole Ocho Rios area has some constraints, for example, Ocho Rios (High School) is on shift, in addition to the Marcus Garvey (High School) and Brown’s Town High School. One of the problems, of course, is that the population is shifting and people are going into the Ocho Rios, St Ann area, so there’s really a serious shortage in that area,” he said.

 

Stressing the ministry’s commitment to having 100 per cent placement of all students in full high schools next year, he said the expansion would go a far way in eradicating shift systems.

 

“Of course, in St James, we’ll need another school. This is to ameliorate the crisis that we currently have, particularly as it relates to taking the schools off shift. We are proud of the fact, however, that next year, we will be able to have all students in a full high-school programme. This year is the first that we have been able to place 99 per cent of our students in a full high-school programme, next year, we will be able to do 100 per cent,” Reid told The Gleaner.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education Ruel Reid

 

JIS: More than 400 deaf students in primary and secondary schools are to benefit from a US$2.7-million project aimed at increasing their literacy levels.

 

The three-year Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project is being implemented by the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

Launched on Wednesday (September 13) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, the three-year initiative is being rolled out in nine schools operated by the major service providers of deaf education in Jamaica.

 

These are the Danny Williams School for the Deaf; Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf; and Excelsior Primary School Integrated Unit for the Deaf in Kingston; Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf – Kingston and Mandeville campuses; Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, St. James; May Pen Unit for the Deaf, Clarendon; Port Antonio Unit for the Deaf, Portland; and St.

 

Christopher’s School for the Deaf, St. Ann.

 

A key objective is to facilitate the development of a Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) curriculum that will be incorporated in schools for the deaf by 2020.

 

Keynote speaker at the event, State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, commended the initiative, which, he said, will ensure greater inclusiveness for the deaf community.

 

He hailed the effort to have JSL as a subject in schools across the deaf community by 2020.

 

“To achieve that means that you will have developed a curriculum that can be used in our schools for our hearing-impaired children and can be shared across all our schools. From our perspective at the Ministry, that is critical if we are to ensure that no child is left behind,” he said.

 

Acting Mission Director for USAID, Rebecca Robinson, who brought greetings at the event, noted that the project will assist in developing the capacity of the hearing-impaired community, thereby enabling them to make a meaningful contribution to national development.

 

“The evidence suggests that the deaf has been an underserved population with limited educational opportunities. The timing of this project is impeccable, as it seeks to address the factors that affect language development of deaf students and build a strong foundation for literacy and academic success. Also, it helps to enhance the skills of students, parents and teachers in JSL,” she said.

 

The Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project got under way in April 2017 and will run until April 2020.

 

In addition to increasing the literacy levels of students and establishing a JSL curriculum, the project will also build the capacity of teachers and empower parents to effectively communicate with their children.

 

One hundred educators of the deaf and 27 deaf culture facilitators/teacher aides serving the deaf community will receive support, and the project will also provide employment opportunities for deaf persons as tutors.

 

The USAID provided a US$2.4-million grant for the undertaking with the remaining US$300,000 contributed by the JAD and its stakeholders.

 

Operating since 1938, the JAD is a non-governmental organisation, which empowers deaf Jamaicans to become effective nation builders.

 

Persons interested in learning JSL can contact the JAD at 970-1778/9, or visit www.jamdeaf.org.jm for more information.

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, the Hon. Floyd Green (right), spells his name in sign language at the launch of the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project on Wednesday (September 13) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston. Looking on are Chairman of the Executive Board of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), Christopher Williams; and Acting Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rebecca Robinson.

 

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.