JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is reporting that the new academic year got off to a smooth start.

 

“All things are going very well. I’ve also been in touch with my regional directors. Everything seems to be moving quite nicely,” he said.

 

The Minister was speaking to JIS NEWS following a tour of institutions on Monday (September 4), the first day of the new school year.

 

The Minister visited the Old Harbour High and Old Harbour Primary schools in St. Catherine, and the Half-Way Tree Primary and New Day Primary and Junior High in Kingston.

 

“The schools are in very good readiness. The teachers are on high alert; the principals and the students are ready for school,” he told JIS NEWS.

 

Minister Reid said the Government has put everything in place to ensure that schools have the necessary resources to function effectively and to provide an environment for students to thrive.

He is imploring students to remain focused and to strive for excellence.

 

Turning to Mount Salem and its environs, where a zone of special operations (ZOSO) is in effect, the Minister informed that there were no adverse reports coming out of the area regarding the movement of students.

 

“We expect, as the Prime Minister (the Most Hon. Andrew Holness) has indicated, that the security forces will allow free passage of students. We encourage students, nonetheless, to acquire their identification (ID), and that will also help, going forward, for them to have easy access in and out of that area,” he said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (2nd right), addresses students at the Half-Way Tree Primary School in Kingston during a visit to the institution on Monday (September 4). At right is Principal of the School, Carol O’Connor Clarke. The Minister also visited the Old Harbour High and Old Harbour Primary schools in St. Catherine, and the New Day Primary and Junior High in Kingston.

JIS: My fellow Jamaicans, as we begin this new school year 2017 / 2018, we do so with much optimism and confidence that this will be a very good year for the education of our young people in Jamaica.

 

Much work has been done to lay the foundation for improved student performance. School plants have been renovated, furniture and other equipment have been provided and most important, the first tranche operational grants have been sent to our schools in good time to allow for the smooth re-opening of our institutions.

 

Last year, we experienced a tremendous partnership among stakeholders – teachers, the Jamaica Teachers Association, students, parents, school board members, administrative, ancillary, and staff of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

Together we must build on that partnership and stakeholder engagement this year as we continue to work for the educational development of our children and overall economic growth in our country.

 

So we start this new school year with a great sense of hope that our united efforts will lead to better education outcomes.

 

The encouraging results from our students’ performance in the GSAT exams and improvements at the CSEC, CAPE, NVQJ and City and Guilds levels point to the progress being made through new initiatives to improve outcomes. With the continued excellent guidance of our teachers and application of our students we will see good results.

 

I turn now to our plans and policies for the education system for the start of the 2017/2018 academic year.

 

We now spend over thirty seven billion, six hundred and ninety nine million, six hundred and twenty four thousand, three hundred and sixty one dollars (37,699,624,361) on secondary education which includes Salaries, Grants, TVET, ICT, Science, Infrastructure, furniture and nutrition. That means we are spending between $176,994 and $190,000 per capita at the secondary level.

 

We will honour our commitment to increase funding to Primary, All Age and Junior High Schools for the academic year 2017/2018 with a budget of $1B outside of salaries.

 

In the meantime, we have adopted a non-obligatory policy towards the payment of parents’ contribution. We are however encouraging parents to contribute to their schools once agreement has been reached and approved by the Board of Governors.

 

New policies are also in place to help schools address pressing problems and help with their cash flow.

 

i. The first tranche has already been disbursed from June 2017.

ii. The second tranche to be disbursed in the second week of September.

iii. The third tranche in the second week of December.

iv. The fourth tranche will be paid in the second week of April 2018

 

All other support grants to school including STEM, TVET, Curriculum, Infrastructure repairs are being disbursed.

 

In addition to the support mentioned earlier, we are also providing other areas of support for the new school year:

 

These include payment for: • Additional teachers for those schools that require special support based on the nature of the students and special programmes being offered.

• Twenty five (25) temporary Deans of Discipline

• Over 1000 young persons to be engaged as lab technicians, Safety and Security Support Officers, Clerical Officers and environmental Wardens will be placed in selected schools.

• Payment of 913 cooks across the system to the tune of 274.8 million.

• Upgrading of canteens and provision of equipment to the tune of over $200 million

 

This administration believes no child should be left behind because of the family’s economic circumstances. So the Government has increased funding for students on PATH to ensure they receive lunch for five days per week and literature books commencing with the grade 7, 10 and 11 in this new term at a cost of $116 million.

 

Payment for insurance will also be made for students on PATH and wards of the State at a cost of $26M.

 

PATH allocation of $2000 will be used to cover the cost of ID and uniform related items. Book vouchers are being provided for the neediest students up to $ 2000 per student. Total to be spent is $50M.

 

Transportation will be provided for students on PATH in eight parishes.

 

This will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) as well as the Ministry of Transport and Mining. A total of $200M will be allocated for this activity.

 

At the early childhood level, many of our institutions need help. As part of the efforts to improve standards and give our children a strong foundation as they begin their education journey, the

 

Ministry will be taking over a number these schools. In addition with the support of the Ministry, 117 basic schools will be converted into 56 Infant Departments.

 

Our mantra Every child can learn, every child must learn is at the centre of what we do. So we are ensuring that our children with special needs are not left behind. The Ministry’s Special Education Unit will place one thousand, four hundred and seventy four (1,474) students in special education facilities at a cost of fifty seven million, seven hundred and eighty six thousand, two hundred and forty dollars ($57, 786, 240), for 2017- 2018.

 

Of course, among the most essential tools for students are textbooks. Therefore under the National Textbook Loan Scheme and the Primary Textbook Programme, the Ministry of Education is spending approximately eight hundred million ($800,000,000.00) on books for the new school year. The delivery of books to schools has started and will be completed by October 6, 2017.

 

With regard to nutrition, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information School Feeding Unit in collaboration with the Nutrition Products Limited will continue to provide funds and or snacks to schools directly for the School Feeding Programme.

 

The Ministry is happy to report that the delivery of furniture to schools primarily for students started from the second week in July and will be completed by the last week of September.

 

To ensure that critical infrastructure issues are addressed, we have identified 172 schools for upgrades from the Schools Maintenance Project at a cost of Five Hundred and Fifty-four Million Three

 

Hundred and Three Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty Dollars ($554,303,880.00).

 

This infrastructure upgrade also addresses sanitation concerns. Forty two schools still utilize pit latrines as the only means of faecal disposal. As such, Seventy-six million dollars ($76,000,000.00) has been allocated in the 2017 – 2018 budgets for 35 schools under the Ministry’s Sanitation Programme.

 

Schools are being encouraged to ensure that safety and security committees are in place and that the safety and Security Guidelines are utilized within the schools to treat with this area.

 

We began the phased roll out of the new national curriculum last year and for this year it will be fully implemented in all grades up to grade 9 in the first term of the new school year. The Alternative Pathway for Secondary Level Education will also be launched in 84 schools.

 

In the meantime, the Career Advancement Programme has been expanded as the flagship programme for the creation of an additional two years at the secondary level. Over 123 schools have been approved to offer the programme to date and others are being processed.

 

My fellow Jamaicans, this year we have another great opportunity to redouble our efforts to help create an education system which enables every child to achieve his or her full potential.

As we do so in a spirit of unity and partnership, this will be to the benefit of all of us in the short, medium and long term. Together let us rise and build Jamaica, land we love.

 

Thank you.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid. (FILE).

JIS: Thousands of students and teachers will begin the new academic year on Monday (Sept. 4) in much improved surroundings.

 

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, told JIS NEWS that 172 institutions were identified for repairs at a cost of $554.3 million under the schools maintenance project.

 

He informed that $316.7 million was disbursed to 122 schools to undertake crucial works to facilitate the re-opening of plants for September.

 

The other 50 institutions are under contracts for various renovations at a cost of $174. 4 million.

 

Meanwhile, 14 early childhood institutions were identified for modifications for the creation of infant departments.

 

Contracts were awarded for projects at 11 schools at a cost of $49.5 million. Construction activities have started with works up to 80 per cent completed on some projects.

 

In addition to the repairs and maintenance, the Minister told JIS NEWS upgrading projects are being undertaken at several other institutions across the island.

 

At Pembrook Hall High School in St. Andrew three classrooms are being constructed at a cost of $14 million. The project is slated for completion in October.

 

The Cedric Titus High in Trelawny is building four classrooms from a $31 million allocation, while at the Sydney Pagon Academy in St. Elizabeth, three classrooms are being built at a cost of $24 million.

 

Work is 50 per cent complete on a $27 million upgrading project at the Bellevue Primary and Junior High in Trelawny, while the tender process is underway for the construction of four classrooms at Maldon High in St. James.

 

The Manchester-based Bryce Primary is being upgraded under a $26 million project, and design work is completed for a $50 million restoration project at Westwood High in Trelawny.

 

Giving an update on the sanitation programme, the Education Minister informed that $76 million was allocated in the 2017/18 budget to upgrade bathrooms at 35 of 42 schools that still had pit latrines.

 

The reminding seven schools will be completed through partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and the Culture, Health, Arts, Science and Education (CHASE) Fund.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), addresses a JIS Think Tank on August 28. He is flanked by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard; and Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says some 35,000 pieces of furniture are being distributed to primary and secondary schools in order to ensure that all students are adequately accommodated for the new academic year.

 

“We decided this year to start the procurement process early, so we started from November. This is the first time that we were able to deliver furniture as early as mid-July, so we are way advanced,” he noted.

 

He informed that the acquisition was made possible through an expanded budget of $200 million, up from $75 million.

 

“We are ready for the new term. We don’t expect that furniture will be a major problem,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was speaking with JIS News at a Rotary Club of Kingston luncheon at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on August 31.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister said the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) will play a critical part in ensuring regular school attendance.

 

He noted that the zones will normalise communities and allow free passage for children to go to school.

 

Senator Reid said that the initiative was developed to restore and maintain peace in volatile areas and enable the police to provide service and reassurance to the public and greater protection for children in particular.

 

“I see the special zones as an aid to our Ministry to ensure that all our children are able to get to school and get the education that we want them to get,” he asserted.

 

The zones will address crime and violence, while upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.

 

Communities where zones have been established will benefit from social interventions and other provisions.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), enjoys a light conversation with President of the Rotary Club of Kingston, Michael Buckle (centre), and Past President, Michael Fennell. Occasion is the Rotary Club’s luncheon held on August 31 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is moving to optimise schools’ outputs through greater use of information and communications technology (ICT) in teaching.

 

Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry and its stakeholder partners are exploring several options to ensure that trainee teachers are equipped with computer skills as part of their core competencies.

 

He was speaking at the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica (TCJ) professional development workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on Wednesday, August 30.

 

Noting concerns from several school Principals about the limited knowledge of technology of some trainee teachers, Senator Reid said the Ministry planned to rectify this by incorporating ICT in the colleges’ training programmes to facilitate its use in the preparation of lesson plans, delivery of lectures and general administration.

 

Senator Reid reiterated the Government’s commitment to repositioning Jamaica on the cutting edge of technology, particularly in education, to meet the growing demand for technology skills in business process outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing and engineering.

 

The two-day workshop, which was held from August 29 to 30, is staged at the start of each semester and targets administrators from the country’s eight teacher-training institutions, who meet for professional development training and discussions on issues impacting education.

 

The institutions include Bethlehem Moravian College, Catholic College of Mandeville, Church Teachers’ College, Moneague College, St. Joseph’s Teachers’ College, Shortwood Teachers’ College, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, and The Mico University College.

 

The workshop was staged in collaboration with the Joint Board of Teacher Education, University of the West Indies (UWI).

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), emphasises a point while speaking during the Teachers Colleges of Jamaica professional development workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston on Wednesday, August 30. Looking on is Jamaica Teachers’ Association President, Georgia Waugh Richards. The two-day workshop, held from August 29 to 30, was staged for administrators at the island’s eight teacher-training institutions.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be rolling out a pilot Rural School Bus Transport System in September, through a special partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Mining.

 

This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on August 28.

 

The pilot will initially target students of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

 

Students from 91 primary and secondary schools in eight parishes across the island will benefit from the pilot in the first phase. The parishes are St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary, Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Hanover and St. James.

 

The Ministry has committed $200 million for the first year of the pilot and continues to have dialogue with members of the diaspora and international partners towards expansion of the project.

 

According to the Minister, data in the Ministry have revealed that PATH students significantly contribute to the absentee rate in public educational institutions, and the project will be key to addressing that problem.

 

“The school bus project is one that we are very excited about and this is against the background that 20 per cent of our children generally are absent from school each day,” he said.

 

“When you look at the rural areas, particularly, the cost for transportation is extremely high, and we are very certain that it is a main contributory factor to the absenteeism,” he added.

 

The Minister noted that benefits are provided through PATH at school, but many of the students are still challenged to get to school.

 

He highlighted the fact that the Ministry had previously closed some small schools and entered into contractual arrangements with private operators to transport students from the closed schools to the placed schools.

 

“We are expanding and integrating that transport system. We will also be expanding the services of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company into the Old Harbour, May Pen and Manchester areas, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Mining, and many students now will benefit from the same costs of transportation as in the Corporate Area,” Senator Reid pointed out.

 

The Minister said that there will be similar capacity in the west, where Montego Bay Metro will cover parts of Trelawny, St. James and Hanover.

 

“We are working with Minister (Mike) Henry (in Transport and Mining) to see if we can have a network of buses to cover the main corridors, and then we can take smaller buses to meet them at join-up points,” he explained.

 

Senator Reid said that the Government has a vision of building out a network for a fully operational national school-bus system.

 

The objectives of the pilot include the provision of a safe mode of transportation, scheduled transportation for targeted schools, affordable transportation for students and improving the attendance of students in rural areas.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), gives details on the Pilot Rural School Bus Transport System, which will be rolled out in September 2017. The Minister was addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on August 28. Others (from left) are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Dean-Roy Bernard and Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean.

JIS: With less than a week before the start of the 2017-2018 school year, Educators in several institutions in rural Jamaica say they are more than ready for the tasks ahead.

 

However, they say that while they will be doing their best to facilitate the needs of thousands of students in the classrooms, “we are hoping that parents will also do their part in giving us some much-needed assistance”.

 

Approximately 1,000 public schools at the infant, primary and secondary levels will open their doors to welcome almost 500,000 students for the new school year. In addition, hundreds of early-childhood institutions operated by community-based and private entities will extend their arms to admit thousands of four- to six-year-olds.

 

The educators also note that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and its regional bodies have been of “tremendous help” and should be commended for their assistance in some very critical areas.

 

“We are doing our best to ensure we have an environment that is conducive to learning for the one thousand-plus students who will be rolling through our corridors next Monday (September 4),” Principal of John Rollins Success Primary in Barrett Town, St. James, Yvonne Williams-Wisdom, tells JIS News.

 

“We must commend the Ministry for its commitment in ensuring that no child is left behind and for the continuation of the lunch and breakfast programmes for needy students. Of course, there will be challenges. However, as best as possible, I am confident we are ready for the start of the new school year,” she says.

 

Ms. Williams-Wisdom says that while security was a major concern in the past, the school has now hired a security firm “to keep intruders out” and to ensure that “our students and teachers remain safe”.

 

For her part, Senior Teacher at Beecher Town Primary in St. Ann, Carmen Brown, says while the back-to-school preparations have been going well, the water situation at the facility remains a challenge.

 

“We have a catchment where we have to rely on the rain and also trucked water from the National Water Commission (NWC). It is not the perfect situation, but we have to make do with the reality at hand,” she adds.

 

Ms. Brown, whose school has excelled in both academics and cultural activities, says that teachers at Beecher Town Primary are really looking forward to the start of the new school year, noting that “our job here is to try and provide the highest quality of education for our children”.

 

In anticipation of the new school year, the Ministry has been busy sending out senior officers in the field to engage in dialogue with educators as it relates to chartering a way forward.

 

Emphasising that education is the most important gift a parent can pass on to a child, portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, told a recent Jamaica Teachers’ Association conference that every child in Jamaica that is of age to go to school must do so as provided for in the Education Code.

 

“No child must be kept at home without good cause, and no school must exclude any student,” the Education Minister declared.

 

In the meantime, Vice-Principal of Godfrey Stewart High School in Westmoreland, Emily Ricketts, tells JIS News that one of the challenges her school is facing is to accommodate the high number of requests for transfers.

 

“Godfrey Stewart has emerged as a school of choice for many students in Westmoreland. Unfortunately, especially on the eve of back-to-school, we are unable to accommodate many of the transfer requests we are getting,” she says.

 

Ms. Ricketts notes that the school is well prepared for back-to-school activities. “We are all very positive and excited about the prospects of a very good school year,” she says.

 

Over at Maldon Primary in Maroon Town, St. James, expectations are high for a very successful school year.

 

Principal, Audrey Bernard-Kilbourne, tells JIS News: “We too have our fair share of challenges. However, we have been good in working with what we have, and our dedicated teachers and equally dedicated students are ready for whatever lies ahead. Yes, we are ready for the new school year.”

 

CAPTION: Students from a number of schools in rural Jamaica gather in the auditorium for a function at the William Knibb High School in Trelawny recently.

JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, continues to reiterate the Government’s non-obligatory policy towards the payment of parents’ contribution at the secondary level.

 

However, he is encouraging parents to contribute to their children’s school, once an agreement has been reached and approved by the Board of Governors.

 

“We believe in funding education up to the secondary level, and we believe that parents’ contribution is still necessary to build effective schools; however, where a parent cannot pay, the children should not be left behind,” Senator Reid emphasised.

 

The Minister, who was addressing a JIS ‘Think Tank’ yesterday (August 28), said the Government presently spends $38 billion annually on secondary education.

 

This amount covers salaries, grants, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), information and communications technology (ICT), science, infrastructure, furniture and nutrition.

 

The Government, therefore, spends between $177,000 and $190,000 per capita annually at the secondary level, the Minister noted.

 

Senator Reid pointed out that the Ministry is also honouring its commitment to increase funding to primary, all-age and junior high schools for the academic year 2017/2018 with a budget of $1 billion, excluding salaries.

 

Based on the budgetary allocation, all infant and primary schools will receive $2,500.00 per student, an increase from $850.00 or more than 169 per cent; while all-age and junior high schools will receive $19,000.00 per student, up from $1,100.00.

 

The Minister pointed out that as at April 2017, primary, secondary, junior high and all-age schools were paid directly from the Central Ministry and not from the Regional Offices, as was done in previous years, to allow for greater efficiency in terms of schools receiving their resources.

 

The schools will continue to be provided with a maintenance grant of $50,000.00 per school, along with a janitorial grant of $172,000.00.

 

Payments for the new school year will be distributed in four timely tranches. The first tranche was disbursed in June, while the second will be disbursed in September. The third and fourth will be disbursed in December 2017 and April 2018, respectively. The Minister stated that the new school year starts on September 4, buoyed by encouraging results in the recent sittings of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

 

He said the improved students’ performance, particularly in Mathematics, points to the initial success of several teaching and learning initiatives introduced by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

 

“During this 2017/18 new academic year, together we must focus on sustaining this positive momentum in student achievement,” the Minister said.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (centre), addresses a JIS ‘Think Tank’ yesterday (August 28). The Minister and a team from the Ministry provided an update on the Ministry’s readiness for the new school year. Others (from left) are Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard; and Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean.