JIS: The Education, Youth and Information Ministry, through its Safety and Security Unit, is focusing on increasing the number of uniformed groups in schools.

 

Region Six Community Relations Education Officer in the Ministry, Kereen Reid-Clarke, says involvement in these groups provides opportunities for the growth and development of students.

 

“We believe that uniformed groups, especially the Fire Wardens Club, will foster a sense of discipline and also provide an avenue for students to learn and practise appropriate disaster and safety measures,” she notes.

 

Mrs. Reid-Clarke was delivering remarks at the official launch of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Fire Wardens Club in schools, at the Greater Portmore Primary School in St. Catherine on October 26.

 

“The club will not only have an impact on the students but over time create a society which will be fully aware of how to manage, respond and recover from disasters,” she said.

 

Mrs. Reid-Clarke assured that the Ministry will continue to work with the JFB to ensure that the Fire Wardens Club initiative is available to all primary schools across the island.

 

Meanwhile, Region Six Safety and Security Coordinator in the Ministry, Carl Sterling, noted that focus is being placed on improving the safety and security committees in all high schools in Jamaica.

 

“The Ministry is committed to ensuring that we create an environment that is safe for our students to learn and for them to experience all that they can, so that they become productive members of society,” he said.

 

Deputy Superintendent of the JFB, James Lee, said the Fire Wardens Club represents a far-reaching initiative that seeks to engage and empower students and their parents in fire safety.

 

He said its launch is timely, as the JFB observes Fire Safety Awareness Week from October 22-28 under the theme ‘Empowering our People for a Fire-Safe Jamaica’.

 

“We are expecting other schools to come on board, so that the initiative can spread. We’re hoping that through it we can have prospective firemen and (fire)women,” he said.

 

Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenji Tobita, said his agency, which is funding the Fire Wardens Club in schools initiative, has been helping Jamaica in the area of disaster risk reduction, as the island is prone to disasters just like Japan.

 

He said through cooperation, JICA has dispatched disaster risk-reduction personnel to provide training in this regard.

 

Born out of the Disaster Risk Reduction Education in Primary Schools, the Fire Wardens Club is the brainchild of District Officer of the JFB, Heather Williams.

 

It is an education-based extracurricular programme in primary schools with the purpose of empowering children with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes to prepare for, respond to and to recover from disasters.

 

The vision of the club is to develop a culture of disaster risk reduction in homes and communities towards building Jamaica’s resilience to natural disasters.

 

Clubs, which will require members to wear their JFB-designated uniforms, hold regular weekly meetings for an hour.

 

The children engage in discussions on certain topics such as natural hazards and disasters, rescue techniques, basic first aid, volunteerism, fire brigade knowledge and foot drills.

 

The launch was attended by several schools based in St. Catherine, including: McCook Primary, Marlie Mount Primary and Infant, Kensington Primary, Old Harbour Primary, Ensom City Primary, Independence City Primary and Crescent Primary.

 

Students from McCook Primary and Greater Portmore Primary participated in the display of accident rescue and the demonstration of the use of a fire extinguisher

 

CAPTION: Region Six Community Relations Education Officer in the Education, Youth and Information Ministry, Kereen Reid-Clarke (left), converses with Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenji Tobita (right), during the launch of the Fire Wardens Club in schools at the Greater Portmore Primary School in St. Catherine on October 26. At centre is Region Six Safety and Security Coordinator in the Ministry, Carl Sterling.

JIS: As the parent of a hearing-impaired teenager, Marcia Hunter welcomes the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project, which, she says, will open up academic opportunities for her daughter and positively impact her future ambitions.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Ms. Hunter says her 18-year-old daughter, who attends the Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf, puts no limits on herself.

 

The talented teen, who is in Grade 12, already has a distinction in Visual Arts at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, and is preparing to sit additional examinations in Mathematics, Accounts and Information Technology (IT) in 2018.

 

The proud mother who supports her ambitious daughter in her pursuit of a career as a teacher of the deaf in visual arts or mathematics, says the project is a positive step in the right direction to foster greater inclusion and opportunities for members of the deaf community.

 

For his part, State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, hails the initiative, which he says is in line with the Government’s national development agenda, which seeks to ensure that every member of society is included in the process.

 

“If we are to truly move Jamaica forward, it must be with an effective education system that leaves no child behind,” Mr. Green asserts.

 

Launched in September, the three-year project aims to realise five major objectives, including an increase in the number of deaf students functioning at age-appropriate levels for literacy development by 10 percentage points in all 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.

 

Activities to be implemented to achieve this objective include diagnostic assessment of vulnerable students, specially designed reading competitions and workshops, reading boot camps and educational field trips.

 

The second objective is the development of a Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) curriculum to be incorporated in schools for the deaf by 2020.

 

It is expected that this will assist in developing students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills as well as act as a catalyst for students to access higher education.

 

Pointing out that deaf persons using JSL have difficulty communicating written thoughts, Ms. Hunter says that the project comes at an opportune time, as it will assist her daughter in her exam preparations.

 

“With the Literacy in English Language, it will improve her grammar and bring more awareness about language arts. It will also assist her in her exams and improve her ability to relate to a hearing person in terms of her writing,” she adds.

 

Two other significant goals of the project are to have a minimum of 75 per cent of all teachers advancing at least two levels of JSL Communicative Competence at the end of the project; and to empower parents of the deaf to effectively parent and communicate with their children.

 

To achieve this, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) will be teaching parents sign language and effective parenting strategies. They will also be coached on how to read with their children using sign language, through the JAD’s Shared Reading Programme.

 

Ms. Hunter, who is attending sign language classes at JAD, says being able to communicate properly with her child is important as this is the only way she can nurture the critical parent-child relationship, and is encouraging all persons, particularly parents with hearing-impaired children, to learn this language.

 

“You have to find time for your child, especially if he or she has special needs. You need to be able to communicate with your child,” she says.

 

Meanwhile, Project Manager, Tisha Ewen-Smith, says that with more than 90 per cent of students across the island’s primary and secondary schools for the deaf functioning below the expected grade levels in reading comprehension, the project will equip these children with the necessary skills to advance to higher education and improve their outcomes as adults.

 

“The goal of the project is to increase the literacy level of deaf children in all schools operated by the major service providers of deaf education in Jamaica… and ensure equal access as clients, students and, most importantly, as citizens of Jamaica,” she says.

 

The programme will impact more than 400 deaf children and their families as well as 100 educators in nine participating schools for the deaf.

 

The Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project is slated to run from April 2017 to April 2020, and is being implemented by the JAD, in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), spells his name in sign language during the launch of the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston recently. The project aims to increase the literacy level of hearing-impaired children. It is being implemented by the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Observing are Acting Mission Director for USAID, Rebecca Robinson (centre) and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Christopher Williams.

JIS: The University of the West Indies (UWI) has developed material designed to assist in improving media and information literacy in primary and secondary schools islandwide.

 

This was disclosed by Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange, who said the undertaking is a collaboration involving the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Broadcasting Commission and the Joint Board of Teacher Education.

 

“I am pleased to learn that an outcome of this collaboration is that media literacy will be embedded into the curriculum of local teacher-training colleges,” she further disclosed.

 

The Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony for the global media and information literacy conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on October 25.

 

Ms. Grange said it is essential that Jamaicans be able to deconstruct media products in order to evaluate their contents; assign social, cultural and/or economic value to the content; and leverage information and communication tools in their development goals.

 

“In short, our aim must be to develop the critical thinking skills of our citizens, especially our young citizens, whose upbringing and socialising are influenced by the media,” she said.

 

The Minister contended that in the existing digital age, persons should have the skills to critically analyse and use media and information.

 

“Concerns about the impact of media on society, particularly on young people, have resonated for as long as traditional media have existed. But things have to change dramatically,” she added.

 

Ms. Grange said, over time, consumers have become more active in terms of the media and information they receive.

 

This, she said, can be attributed to more access to information, more sources of information where mediated forms of communicated are the primary means of delivering information and knowledge, and where misinformation and fake news are unfortunate realities in today’s world.

 

Activities marking Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2017 are being held under the theme ‘Media and Information Literacy in Critical Times: Reimagining Ways of Learning and Information Environments’. The week runs from October 25 to November 1.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (second left), shares pleasantries with (from left) President, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Gloria Pérez-Salmerón; Executive Director, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica and Chairman for the Information Advisory Committee, Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO, Cordel Green; and Chair, International Conference on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, (MILID), Esther Hamburger, during the opening ceremony of the Global Media and Information Literacy conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on October 25.

JIS: The National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) is imploring parents to become the primary influencers in the lives of their children, in order to create more positive outcomes for their future.

 

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPSC, Kaysia Kerr, said that the responsibility of the parent is a major one, which cannot be taken lightly.

 

She said that there has been a gradual shift in responsibility, which has contributed to a decline in values, accountability and integrity in the society.

 

“We encourage parents not to give up the reins of leadership to external individuals or entities. We must recognise that we are the first role models for our children and they depend on us for guidance,” said Ms. Kerr.

 

She argued that the danger of reneging on one’s role and responsibility as a parent is that an avenue opens up for negative forces to become the role models for children.

 

“We have seen where young people are increasingly idolising and emulating a number of players in both local and international popular culture, some of whose values may be questionable, and the effects are being felt in the display of deviant behaviour within our society,” she pointed out.

 

Ms. Kerr said the NPSC is committed to empowering parents with the necessary information and guidance to ensure that they are fully equipped to lay the proper foundation for the development of their children.

 

“We want to remind parents that the concept of leading by example is not just a cliché. If we are going to make any inroads into addressing some of the existing social ills, we must begin at home by modelling ideal behaviour patterns for our children,” she pointed out.

 

The NPSC is making preparations for Parent Month in November, during which a number of activities will be held under the theme ‘Be the Influence’.

 

Among them are parent villages in Kingston and Montego Bay, a national church service as well as sensitisation sessions in several communities across the island.

 

CAPTION: Chief Executive Officer of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), Kaysia Kerr, addresses a Think Tank held at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) headquarters in Kingston.

OBSERVER: Using a smartphone to take photographs and videos for posting online doesn’t begin to explore the extent to how this tech-savvy generation can benefit from the capabilities of modern information communication technology (ICT), according to one educator.

 

The possibilities for teaching and learning are, instead, what should take priority.

 

Newly appointed regional director for the Ministry of Education’s Region 6 (Clarendon and St Catherine) Elaine Roulston, said that with technology so accessible, students can use it to their advantage to do research and easily learn at their own pace.

 

“Thanks to the Internet and mobile technology, students and any other learner, for that matter, can access information on any of the wide range of subjects that you now do or you now pursue in our education system,” she said.

 

Roulston was speaking last Friday at a ceremony in which Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Western Richard Azan, for the fifth consecutive year, presented cheques to seven schools for vocational projects. The ceremony was held at Spalding High School.

 

Roulston said that careers in digitisation and animation are now options because of the innovations in technology.

 

She said improving basic education and literacy, online tertiary studies, acquiring a foreign language and meeting students at the level of their learning are also critical areas that can be effortlessly facilitated.

 

“Because there is educational material from the kindergarten level to the university level, computer technology can and does enhance literacy development. One needs just to look at how how enthused and how motivated the children are when they take out their tablets. At this point in time, I just want to give kudos to those who conceptualised the whole matter of the Tablets in School Programme,” said Roulston.

 

The senior educator said that she is envisioning a time in the future when all school materials can be loaded on to tablets, and children do not have to carry around the number of books that are weighing them down.

 

Coming on the heels of National Heroes’ Day celebrations, Roulston said that she believes that looking at how technology is changing and improving what can be achieved, compared to previous years, is as important as reflecting on what our heroes have done.

 

Last month’s International Literacy Day theme, Literacy in a Digital World, also sparked discussion about the far-reaching benefits of technology.

 

Steven Williams, a systems administrator and teacher at Knox Community College, in a presentation to a gathering of teachers, students and other education stakeholders from Manchester and St Elizabeth, at a function in Mandeville, said that best practices in literacy are evolving through collaboration with other professionals who are accessible 24 hours.

 

Advancements in education are among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

 

CAPTION: Regional director for the Ministry of Education’s Region 6 Elaine Roulston advocates the use of modern technology in teaching and learning at a handover ceremony for vocational project cheques at Spalding High School last Friday. 

GLEANER: With the importance being placed on students’ mastery of technical and vocational skills, along with academics, seven high schools across northwest Clarendon will benefit from a recent grant of $3.5 million from Member of Parliament Richard Azan through his Constituency Development Fund.

 

The funds will be used to provide or improve facilities that will afford students the opportunity to be formally trained in agriculture, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building technology, cosmetology, information communications technology (ICT) and carpentry, among others. The beneficiaries for 2017 are Alston High, Knox College High, Thompson Town High, Claude McKay High, Edwin Allen High, C Palmer Project Hope School and Spalding High.

 

In his remarks at the handover ceremony held at Spalding High School on Friday, October 20, Azan advised that it makes no sense a student leaves high school with 13 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and no skill. He also disclosed plans to impact the primary and infant schools and provide parents with the training needed so that they can add value to their children’s lives.

 

The vocational project, which has been in existence for approximately five years, greatly benefited several schools last year. According to Richard Williams, head of the agriculture department at Alston High, the school was able to expand its poultry house to 400 square feet, increase its poultry stock and purchase a de-feathering machine with the $500,000 grant it received last year.

 

Principal of Spalding High School, George Henry also made mention of his school’s accomplishments through the grant. “We have seen significant improvements in the number of percentage pass rates in various subjects in the industrial arts and economics departments. The allocation allowed us to acquire much needed equipment for these areas,” Henry reported. “This resulted in 100 per cent pass rate for CSEC examinations in food and nutrition, clothing & textile, and cosmetology.

 

We saw 100 percent pass rate in the 2017 sitting of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination for our newly added courses in electrical and electronic engineering technology,” he added.

 

Knox College High, a beneficiary in 2016, has had many successes in building expansion, acquiring appliances and recruiting additional teachers for specialised skills, according to Principal Alexander Bourne. He revealed that in 2017 the school will expand its offerings in ICT, increasing the supply of computers and installing an intranet facility for the school community.

 

Thompson Town and Claude McKay high schools, which receives students whose academic averages are many times in the single digits, reported that these technical and vocational programmes result in their students doing well in external exams.

 

Meanwhile, Wayne Batiste, representative at the HEART Trust/NTA, noted that In addition to students who benefit directly from the technical and vocational programmes, these programmes are for the betterment of the country.

 

“Usually, the ages that are of concern are 17-24, which usually comprise youth at risk; if we don’t impact those persons (through these kinds of programmes), then the future is going to be in trouble.”

 

CAPTION: Mechanical engineering students arranging items they have made for display

JIS: The Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, will host the third International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) from November 29 to December 1 at the Holiday Inn Resort in Montego Bay.

 

The JCTE’s Senior Marketing and Business Development Consultant and Conference Chair, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, says the event will bring together individuals and organisations that are collaborating to develop the education sector.

 

“It will explore the building of educational partnerships; strategic leadership for institutional growth development; and professional development in higher education”, she said.

 

She was speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s head office in Kingston on Tuesday, October 24.

 

The conference, which will also be supported by Delaware State University in the United States, will include concurrent sessions, workshops, exhibitions and panel discussions.

 

Among the key events are a power breakfast, where heads of local and international companies will engage representatives from educational institutions in dialogue; and an awards ceremony to recognise outstanding educators, the Tertiary Student of the Year and outstanding corporate local and international individuals who have made indelible contributions to education.

 

“It is a leadership conference that will provide the platform for building awareness on the readiness, activities and international exposure and exchange of what is happening in education,” Mrs. Knight-Campbell said.

 

Additionally, she said persons are being invited to present research papers at the conference that should be submitted to the JCTE by Thursday, November 9.

 

The focus areas include developing partnerships for an integrated approach to internationalising tertiary education; enhancing career through networking industry certification and professional organisations; and financing tertiary education for growth and sustainability, both locally and internationally. For further information on registration for the conference, persons may email the

 

JCTE at: [email protected], and for the submission of research papers: [email protected]. Persons may also call 632-4136, 616-7620 or visit www.ucj.org.jm.

 

CAPTION: Senior Marketing and Business Development Consultant for the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education and Chair of the Education and TVET Conference, Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Tuesday, October 24.

JIS: As the parent of a hearing-impaired teenager, Marcia Hunter welcomes the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project, which, she says, will open up academic opportunities for her daughter and positively impact her future ambitions.

 

In an interview with JIS News, Ms. Hunter says her 18-year-old daughter, who attends the Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf, puts no limits on herself.

 

The talented teen, who is in Grade 12, already has a distinction in Visual Arts at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) level, and is preparing to sit additional examinations in Mathematics, Accounts and Information Technology (IT) in 2018.

 

The proud mother who supports her ambitious daughter in her pursuit of a career as a teacher of the deaf in visual arts or mathematics, says the project is a positive step in the right direction to foster greater inclusion and opportunities for members of the deaf community.

 

For his part, State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, hails the initiative, which he says is in line with the Government’s national development agenda, which seeks to ensure that every member of society is included in the process.

 

“If we are to truly move Jamaica forward, it must be with an effective education system that leaves no child behind,” Mr. Green asserts.

 

Launched in September, the three-year project aims to realise five major objectives, including an increase in the number of deaf students functioning at age-appropriate levels for literacy development by 10 percentage points in all 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.

 

Activities to be implemented to achieve this objective include diagnostic assessment of vulnerable students, specially designed reading competitions and workshops, reading boot camps and educational field trips.

 

The second objective is the development of a Jamaican Sign Language (JSL) curriculum to be incorporated in schools for the deaf by 2020.

 

It is expected that this will assist in developing students’ comprehension and critical thinking skills as well as act as a catalyst for students to access higher education.

 

Pointing out that deaf persons using JSL have difficulty communicating written thoughts, Ms. Hunter says that the project comes at an opportune time, as it will assist her daughter in her exam preparations.

 

“With the Literacy in English Language, it will improve her grammar and bring more awareness about language arts. It will also assist her in her exams and improve her ability to relate to a hearing person in terms of her writing,” she adds.

 

Two other significant goals of the project are to have a minimum of 75 per cent of all teachers advancing at least two levels of JSL Communicative Competence at the end of the project; and to empower parents of the deaf to effectively parent and communicate with their children.

 

To achieve this, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) will be teaching parents sign language and effective parenting strategies. They will also be coached on how to read with their children using sign language, through the JAD’s Shared Reading Programme.

 

Ms. Hunter, who is attending sign language classes at JAD, says being able to communicate properly with her child is important as this is the only way she can nurture the critical parent-child relationship, and is encouraging all persons, particularly parents with hearing-impaired children, to learn this language.

 

“You have to find time for your child, especially if he or she has special needs. You need to be able to communicate with your child,” she says.

 

Meanwhile, Project Manager, Tisha Ewen-Smith, says that with more than 90 per cent of students across the island’s primary and secondary schools for the deaf functioning below the expected grade levels in reading comprehension, the project will equip these children with the necessary skills to advance to higher education and improve their outcomes as adults.

 

“The goal of the project is to increase the literacy level of deaf children in all schools operated by the major service providers of deaf education in Jamaica… and ensure equal access as clients, students and, most importantly, as citizens of Jamaica,” she says.

 

The programme will impact more than 400 deaf children and their families as well as 100 educators in nine participating schools for the deaf.

 

The Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project is slated to run from April 2017 to April 2020, and is being implemented by the JAD, in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

CAPTION: State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), spells his name in sign language during the launch of the Partnership for Literacy Enhancement for the Deaf Project at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston recently. The project aims to increase the literacy level of hearing-impaired children. It is being implemented by the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), in partnership with international funding agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Observing are Acting Mission Director for USAID, Rebecca Robinson (centre) and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Christopher Williams.

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has called on local universities to ensure that the degree programmes being offered are in keeping with the country’s development goals, the Government’s economic priorities, and are on par with the very best international standards.

 

Delivering greetings at the University Council of Jamaica’s (UCJ) sixth annual Dr. Dennis Irvine Lecture Series at The Knutsford Court Hotel in St. Andrew on October 19, Mr. Green said that as the nation becomes more developed and careers change, universities should adjust their programmes to match jobs that are currently available and will be accessible to upcoming graduates.

 

“We have to ensure that our tertiary programmes are relevant, and that we are not constantly training our young people in areas that are not aligned to the Government’s economic priorities,” he emphasised.

 

“The reality is, as a Government, we have to comprehensively relook at our tertiary funding model, and that tertiary funding model must align with the economic priorities of the day. In essence, there are a number of areas in which we lack professionals, in which we need to ramp up our training, and in which we need to guide some of our young people to choose those areas,” Mr. Green added.

 

He said that amidst a world of constant change and the desire to bring more trained personnel into the workforce, the country cannot afford to allow the push for more to dilute the commitment to high-quality training.

 

“The UCJ has not done that over the past 30 years, and neither can they afford to do so now. Let us all recommitted ourselves to the ideals of the UCJ and to ensuring that Jamaica’s tertiary institutions are providing programmes and training that are on par with the very best international standards,” the State Minister urged.

 

He challenged the universities to ensure that the programmes they are offering to students now, will result in them being employed immediately after completing degrees at the tertiary level.

 

“There are some tertiary institutions which have an 80 per cent placement rate when our young people are finished, and there are others where a number of young people are at home with degrees, with a difficulty in finding gainful employment. That is a reality that we have to treat together as we craft our future for Jamaica,” Mr. Green said.

 

Meanwhile, President, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr. Lincoln Edwards, who was the guest speaker at the Lecture Series, said the universities have to be mindful that the offerings of the institutions depend on the demands of the students, who are their customers, with ideas of the offerings on the job market.

 

“Students have an eye on the job market and the skills and competencies which will position them strongly for employment. As universities respond to the growing range of demands and opportunities, and to increase in competition, they will need to become more diverse. Individual institutions must seek to occupy functional niches where there is a good match between their particular strengths and the market opportunities that exist,” Dr. Edwards said.

 

He added that universities also need to pay attention to globalisation to influence the directions they take regarding their degree offerings, which are in keeping with international standards.

 

“The growth in globalisation requires explicit attention to international quality assurance in education that will enable our people to maximise their potential and enable national development to the highest possible level. In order to be competitive, our universities and colleges must focus special attention on designing and implementing new quality-assurance mechanisms and systems in order to ensure that students receivehigh-quality and relevant education, and that the degrees and diplomas they offer are widely recognised,” Dr. Edwards said.

 

The Lecture Series is held in honour of the late Chairman, UCJ, Dr. Dennis Irvine, who was a distinguished educator who contributed significantly to tertiary education nationally, regionally and internationally for more than 50 years.

 

He served the Council as Chairman for 11 years. He was appointed as the Council’s first Chairman and served from 1987-1989. He was later reappointed in 1996 and held the position up to the time of his passing.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (right), greets President, Northern Caribbean University, Dr. Lincoln Edwards, at the sixth Dr. Dennis Irvine Lecture Series, held on October 19 at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston.

GLEANER: If we say that the world has changed, it would be as cliched as saying that we use smartphones, which, apart from being a desired piece of technology to own, has brought information to the palms.

 

When was the last time you needed information and consulted a library or even an actual physical book? Certainly for in-depth research, one would consult research papers, books by experts, but the first thing you did was to whip out your phone, open its browser and “Googled it”.

 

From that web search, it led you to the correct resources whether books, newspaper articles or research papers you may have needed. If this is how we currently access the world, and we agree that the world is changing every day and we are raising the first generation to never live without the Internet, why doesn’t their learning reflect this? In 2017, are our children still going to the “computer lab” for “computer class”? or going to the library to do research?

 

To access this article today, you may have bought a physical newspaper, you may have subscribed to the app, or you may have logged on to the Jamaica Gleaner website, and many more still would see a thumbnail to a link on various social media platforms. they will read it on their phones, on their tablets, or go “old school” and sit on their verandas and turn page by page. This is because with access come options, and with options comes power, and with power – well, the world, as they say – is your oyster.

 

Blended learning – with technology combining the traditional classroom approach integrated within schools – should be standard. For one, infusing technology maximises learning potential and human potential.

 

The case is currently being made to introduce zoning in schools in Jamaica, which might yield limited choices for parents to choose a school of their choice for their children. But imagine delivering instruction in a format that might be an answer to zoning.

 

It isn’t hard to imagine because we as adults participate in online degrees, webinars, and conferences online. We are able to speak to experts in any given field at the touch of a button. We participate in concerts live from thousands of miles away because we have been practising blended living for so long. why is this not so in our schools?

 

The future of learning is exciting because learning is becoming more personalised than ever. Sure, employers want employees who are able to use PowerPoint and Excel, maybe even code an app, but technology consistently presents the “user experience”. When our children are in a school system they might not access to technology as the world knows it. It forces the student to live in two worlds. It limits their thinking, their imagination, creativity, and how they learn.

 

Education that infuses technology as part and parcel of life seamlessly integrates children with best practices of access to technology and allows them to be responsible citizens in using it. While many services we access have started charging for physical access, there is the need to think beyond the physical textbooks, which are an expensive proposition.

 

 REAP THE BENEFITS

 

Within the E-learning framework, using the E-version of the text allows schools to always use the latest version of the text. it is, of course, cheaper for all stakeholders and allows the student to reap the benefits of having the very best instruction.

 

In everything, there is a requirement of balance. the world is built on efficiency, using the right tools to get the job done right the first time. however, positioning a “basic need” as a privilege lends itself to misuse and abuse. Institutions of learning with technology infused within the curriculum integrate the use of electronic devices in the classrooms. This abandons the desire for misuse, and leaves room for communication with children about being responsible users and how to navigate the “muddy waters”.

 

Parents are always concerned with the amount of “screen time” their children have. We want them to “go outside and play”, actually get dirty, even know what dirt is, we limit their screen time to the weekends or as a form of punishment partly because even though technology is undeniably within our own DNA, we ask our children to “gear down” when it comes to interweaving it within their own lives, even though when we are stumped, we ask them to intervene and fix it for us.

 

It is hypocritical to insist that we expect 100 per cent digital immersion, but we ask our children to “gear down” at school, where they spend the majority of their day.

 

The goal of education is access, which goes beyond an A or a 4.0 GPA. it is levelling the playing field. Access gives opportunity and provides a space to mould oneself into the best fit. our children deserve access to the very best education Wi-Fi can buy.

 

– Article courtesy of the American International School of Kingston (AISK), a global centre for excellence in education. Send feedback to [email protected].