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.

JIS: Educators across western Jamaica are expressing optimism with the full rollout of the new National Standards Curriculum (NSC) for students in all grades for the 2017/18 academic year.

 

The full rollout comes a year after it was implemented on a pilot basis in 49 schools for students in grades one to nine at the beginning of the 2016/17 school year.

 

The new curriculum is aimed at improving the general academic performance, attitude and behaviour of students.

 

It places direct emphasis on project-based and problem-solving learning, with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics/Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEM/STEAM) integrated at all levels. It also allows students more hands-on experiences that are similar to real-world situations, making the learning experience less abstract and more concrete.

 

Regional Director for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information in Region 4, Montego Bay, St. James, Dr. Michelle Pinnock, says she is excited at the implementation.

 

“I am excited about the NSC, as it promotes the establishment of a learner-centred classroom. Teachers will be able to engage all learners, especially the boys, as they partner in teaching-learning activities that promote the development of 21st-century skills – collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication and problem solving,” she says.

 

“This curriculum encourages the partnership of parents, students, teachers and the community. Construction of new knowledge through the integration of technical vocation will cause learners to appreciate new content as they connect and move from the known to the unknown,” Dr. Pinnock adds.

 

She points out that work on the new curriculum started more than three years ago, and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information engaged a number of teachers and other stakeholders.

 

“The new curriculum will allow students to utilise their own talents and experiences in the learning process,” Dr. Pinnock says.

 

She notes that Civics forms a major part of this new dispensation, while Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Spanish have been formally introduced at the primary level.

 

In addition, subject areas such as Geography and History have been separated from Social Studies and are being offered separately starting at grade 7. Chemistry, Biology and Physics have been separated from Integrated Sciences, and will be offered separately at grade 9.

 

Dr. Pinnock says the changes are aimed at ensuring that the requisite foundation for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) in the disciplines is laid during the lower secondary years.

 

Giving his views on the curriculum, Principal of Herbert Morrison Technical High in Montego Bay, St. James, Paul Adams, says his teachers are ready for its implementation.

 

“We have been mandated by the Ministry of Education to implement the new standards curriculum and we have done our preparatory work and are ready. This will be a game changer for our students, and we are looking forward to the benefits which it brings,” he tells JIS News.

 

Meanwhile, parents also welcome the new curriculum, which will further enhance their children’s academic potential.

 

Charles Baker, whose son attends Cornwall College in Montego Bay, tells JIS News that the new curriculum “offers the students lots of avenues for growth and development as they look forward to becoming productive students and take on the rigours of external examinations. Our children will definitely benefit”.

 

Another parent, Michelle Stewart, mother of a fourth-form student at Petersfield High School in Westmoreland, is very optimistic that the subjects and the focus in the new curriculum will ensure that more rounded and qualified students leave the nation’s schools.

 

“The curriculum gives the students more opportunities to fulfil their dreams. I particularly like the idea of getting Civics back into the school, as this will bring our children into a better space to understand the value of knowing about their country, civic pride and good manners,” she tells JIS News.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, interacts with students of Pembroke Hall Primary School, Jabarie Wilson (left) and Jahnae Fletcher. (File)

JIS: The three schools that began operating on the single shift on Monday (September 4) have reported a smooth transition, which should result in more educational programmes for students.

 

They are Mandeville Primary and Junior High School in Manchester, Green Park Primary and Junior High in Clarendon, and Kitson Town All-Age in St. Catherine.

 

Principal of the Mandeville Primary and Junior High, Howard Salmon, told JIS News that parents supported the move to the single-shift system, and administrators were able to implement the move without any difficulty.

 

The way forward, he said, is to continue to provide quality education for the students and to complete their $50-million auditorium that will be used as a homework and after-school facility.

 

Principal of the Green Park Primary and Junior High, Frederick Lattray, said they had prepared the stakeholders for the change.

 

“It means that the students will have greater time in the teaching and learning process,” he said.

 

Mr. Lattray added that more time will be given to extracurricular activities and other character-development programmes, which the shift system did not allow.

 

He noted that the school is now charting a growth path, which includes adding an early-childhood institution. “Having an early-childhood institution will further strengthen our ability to better prepare our students,” the Principal told JIS News.

 

Meanwhile, Principal of the Kitson Town All-Age, Nerica Powell-Hay, reported that parents were “excited” to know that their children will be spending more hours at school.

 

She said the development also means improved security for children, as they will leave the institution long before dusk.

 

“More time will be allotted to teaching and learning sessions, and our children will also be able to participate in more extracurricular activities. We are looking forward to the benefits of this system, with improved performance by the students,” Mrs. Powell-Hay said.

 

Several other schools will exit the shift system in January of 2018 and beyond.

 

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has said that ground will be broken by 2019 for five new schools, while collaborations will continue between the

 

Government and multilateral partners for the building of 17 new institutions to meet the space needed.

 

He said two schools will be built in North East and North West Manchester, one in the Old Harbour area, one in North West St. Ann, and one in the Montego Bay area in St. James.

 

“Those are the critical areas that we have to look at,” the Minister said in an interview with JIS News.

 

CAPTION: The Ministry of Education’s main office, 2 National Heroes Circle.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says one of the Ministry’s goals this academic year is to prepare school administrators, parents and students for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination, which will be introduced in the 2018/19 school year.

 

The PEP will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), which will have its last sitting this academic year.

 

PEP is the Government’s new primary-school-leaving assessment programme. It will be closely aligned to the National Standards Curriculum (NSC), and aims to create an assessment tracker.

 

The programme will cover the last three years at the primary-school level and will have a continuous assessment component between grades four and six.

 

Speaking on September 5 at the opening of a new sanitation facility at Mona Heights Primary School in St. Andrew, Senator Reid said the Ministry will continue to inform administrators of primary schools, parents and students about the new developments with PEP.

 

“We are looking forward to the final sitting of the GSAT and the smooth transition to high school, and also a smooth transition to the Primary Exit Profile in 2019,” the Minister told JIS News in an interview.

 

“That, itself, is one of the goals we have for this year – to sensitise the public in the transition to PEP,” he added.

 

In addition to the introduction of PEP, there will continue to be a rollout of the NSC in primary and preparatory schools, which should adequately prepare students to sit the examination in 2019.

 

Students sitting PEP will start their assessment from grade four, as they will be doing assignments that will contribute to the overall grade that they will be receiving at the end of grade six. Students will also be assessed in grade five. 

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), greets students of Mona Heights Primary School during his visit on September 5. The Minister also officially opened a new sanitation facility, which was partially funded by the Ministry.

JIS: Two days into his tour of schools for the new school year, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, visited the Mona Heights Primary School and officially opened a new 24-unit sanitation facility at the institution on Tuesday, September 5.

 

The units were recently constructed at a cost of approximately $5 million, with the Ministry of Education committing $4 million to the project. The remainder was provided by the parents.

 

In his address to the students, the Minister said he was pleased to have been invited by the institution to open the new facility.

 

He congratulated Principal, Fabian Mahabeer, and the staff for overseeing the construction of the new facility and ensuring that it was completed for the start of the new academic year.

 

“We’re very excited about what is happening at Mona Heights Primary. This is a clear example of leadership. This is preparedness… that you can plan ahead for the beginning of the school year,” the Minister said.

 

The Minister said the Ministry would continue to provide more resources for the school.

 

“We will continue to invest in this institution to make it into a First-World institution. We are looking forward to improving the infrastructure and bringing information and communications technology, making sure you’re properly wired and that you have the latest technologies in your classrooms,” he added.

 

In response, Mr. Mahabeer thanked Senator Reid for visiting the institution and opening the facility.

 

“We feel privileged. The Minister has always had an interest in our school. He sees where we are trying to make a difference in all spheres of the education sector, so his association with us continues to grow,” Mr. Mahabeer said.

 

He said the new sanitation facility is needed as in the past there was only one bathroom at the back of the building to serve the children.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (right), addresses students at Mona Heights Primary School during their devotion on September 5. Following the ceremony, Senator Reid officially opened a new 24-unit sanitation facility. Behind the Minister is Principal of the school, Fabian Mahabeer.

GLEANER: Indicating that there were no reports so far of students being reprimanded for inappropriate attire, Education Minister Ruel Reid said his ministry expects that a standardised policy should be established by the end of September.

 

Giving his assessment on the start of the new academic year, Reid said he still expects that there will be an understanding among all stakeholders until a policy is implemented.

 

“Unfortunately, we were not able to conclude the policy ahead of the start of the school year. We are making sure we do the necessary consultations, getting the National [Secondary] Students’ Council and other youth groups to be a part of the final document. By the end of September, we should have that document ready,” Reid said.

 

“In the interim, we did indicate to the schools that while they are allowed under the regulation to set their rules, and there needs to be a set of consultations, there is understanding on the part of students and parents that the policy must be ratified by the board, so persons are very clear what their rules are. You need to demonstrate very clearly and graphically what you mean by the various standards that you are setting.”

 

In the meantime, Reid said a demonstration by residents in Kellits, Clarendon, and road repairs close to the Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew area caused delays for students getting to school on time yesterday.

 

However, he pointed out that most schools reopened incident free.

 

 EARLY FUNDS BOOST PREPAREDNESS

 

Reid also noted that the Government’s efforts of providing funding to institutions from as early as July benefited the overall preparedness of schools.

 

“Externally, a couple challenges were identified not directly related to school, but in terms of students having some trouble accessing school this morning (Monday). There were reports of road repairs taking place in and around the Lawrence Tavern area, which would affect students going to the Lawrence Tavern Primary School, among schools in that area. However, alternate routes were established,” the minister stated.

 

He also said there were no reports of adverse challenges in Montego Bay, St James, especially in light of the intense security presence in the Mount Salem community, which was last Friday declared Jamaica’s first zone of special operations.

 

Reid sought to reassure persons living in trouble areas that special arrangements are being made to ensure that students can access schools without hassle.

 

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CAPTION: Education Minister Ruel Reid and Captain Kasan Troupe (right), director of regional educational services in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, speak to students at the Half-Way Tree Primary School yesterday as the new school year got under way.