JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, through the Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) and in partnership with LASCO, is inviting principals and teachers to apply for the 2017-2018 LASCO Principal and Teacher of the Year awards.

 

The competition provides meaningful professional experiences and exposure to all who participate. It permits the profession to showcase outstanding performers as models for the teaching profession.

 

Application forms can be accessed on the JTC website at https://jtc.gov.jm/index.php/forms-2/.

 

The deadline for submission is Friday, July 7. The Ministry is also inviting teachers to apply for the designation of Master Teacher.

 

A Master Teacher is a professional teacher who has demonstrated mastery of the art and craft of teaching by achieving excellence in current practice, as assessed by the National Committee for the Selection and Appointment of Master Teachers, through a systematic assessment process; and is so appointed by the relevant school Board, as directed by the Ministry.

 

The candidate must demonstrate mastery of a wide range of teaching skills and competencies; content knowledge of his/her subject or area of specialization, ability to use and integrate modern technologies in education, success in guiding students’ learning and academic achievement, active participation in professional development activities, capacity to conduct and reflect on research in teaching/learning, and leadership skills and effective interpersonal relationships.

 

Deadline for submission is Monday, October 30, 2017.

 

Application forms can be accessed from the Regional Offices of the Ministry, Master Teacher Unit, at the JTC, or at the website: https://jtc.gov.jm/wpcontent/ uploads/2017/06/Master-Teacher-Application-Form.pdf

 

JIS: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with the Education, Youth and Information Ministry to provide grant funding in the sum of US$3 million for a Safety and Security in Schools Project. 

 

Under the partnership, the USAID will provide the funds over two years. The National Education Trust (NET) will act as coordinator for the project.

 

The prime objective for the Ministry, through this initiative, is to implement the necessary measures to transform schools and their immediate surroundings into safe zones through a multilayered and multisectoral approach.

 

It will utilise schools, community, parents and public and private partnerships in an effort to ensure a safe environment that will facilitate a quality education system and raise the bar to benefit all learners, both male and female.

 

Specifically, the project will aid in controlling access to school compounds by installing or repairing perimeter fencing, and controlling the possession of weapons and other contraband in schools, through the use of security monitoring equipment and increasing the number of security personnel assigned to schools.

 

The project will also ensure the implementation of security and safety guidelines and continue the promotion of uniformed groups and clubs, which will promote positive values and attitudes at both school and community levels.

 

Addressing a ceremony to sign the letter of implementation for the project, at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle offices in Kingston, on July 3, Permanent Secretary, Dean-Roy Bernard, expressed gratitude to the USAID for the grant.

 

“We are extremely grateful for the partnership to assist our efforts. This is a moment to be celebrated and we look forward to the National Education Trust (NET) spearheading this project to lessen some of the challenges that we’re having in schools,” he said.

 

Citing the high level of violence in schools, Mr. Bernard stressed the immediate need to reduce conflicts and is hoping for “very good outcomes” with the implementation of the project.

 

Data received from the Safe Schools Programme (SSP) of the Ministry of National Security indicate that during the 2012/2013 academic year, 3,671 students were cited for antisocial behaviours of varying degrees.

 

Substance use and misuse among adolescents also continue to be a major concern.

 

For her part, USAID Mission Director, Maura Barry Boyle, said the project came to fruition based on discussions with the Ministry to improve security in schools.

 

The Mission Director thanked her team for mobilising and bringing the project together in record time. She said it will be implemented once the new school year begins in September.

 

The improved Safety and Security in Schools Project represents a much broader initiative than the SSP, which was instituted in 2004.

 

 CAPTION: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dean-Roy Bernard (left), listens to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director, Maura Barry Boyle, at a grant agreement signing ceremony for a Safety and Security in Schools Project, at the Ministry in Kingston, on July 3.

JIS: The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation is calling for schools to participate in its Youth Environment Advocacy Programme (YEAP), which seeks to empower students to respond to environmental concerns.

 

Senior Director in the Environment and Risk Management Division of the Ministry, Gillian Guthrie, said YEAP, launched in July 2016, aims to engage students in environmental advocacy as well as to help them identify innovative solutions to various challenges.

 

“All the Government agencies produce policies, legislation and environmental programmes. We want the youth to be able to speak to these… we want to hear the voice of the youth. We want to know what they are interested in, what their issues are and also to encourage them to find innovative solutions to national environmental issues,” she explained.

 

Since the start of the programme, the Ministry has hosted regional sessions at St. Hugh’s and Holy Childhood High in Kingston; The Manning’s School, Westmorland; and Mount Alvernia High, St. James.

 

Schools within the vicinity of the host institutions were invited to participate. Themes covered included climate change and waste management.

 

The quarterly sessions will be taken to Portland in September, where discussions will focus on the theme: ‘Disaster Risk Reduction’.

 

“This theme is very apt given climate change and weather events being experienced in Jamaica. I think the youth will have a lot to say on what the challenges are and how the country and they, the youth, can assist in addressing these challenges,” Ms. Guthrie told JIS News.

 

She is urging private sector support for the programme, which targets young people ages 11 to 19.

 

“We are asking the private sector to partner with us in sponsorship of the regional sessions as well as to participate and have dialogue with the youth on national environmental issues,” she said.

 

Public sector partners on YEAP include the Forestry Department, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Health and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA).

 

Non-governmental organisations such as the University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Life Sciences and the Recycling Partners of Jamaica have also collaborated on the programme.

 

During the regional sessions, technical officers from relevant agencies engage students in discussion on a particular theme, following which the students are placed in groups for further analysis. They are required to make a presentation detailing their thoughts on the issue and how they can contribute to the solution.

 

Ms. Guthrie said feedback from students about the sessions has been positive, as they have expressed excitement about the programme and a desire to see it expanded to include communication in-between the meetings.

 

In addition to sustained social media engagement with the students on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, YEAP has also led to clean-up campaigns and recycling programmes being implemented at the schools.

 

The institutions are encouraged to establish environmental clubs or strengthen existing groups to further disseminate the messages of the programme.

 

“This is a programme to build the capacity of the youth. We are looking to the youth being able to take ownership and leadership of the YEAP once their capacity gets to a certain level,” Ms. Guthrie pointed out.

 

She is encouraging principals, teachers and students to contact the Ministry’s website at www.mwh.gov.jm.

 

CAPTION: Students participate in a Youth Environmental Advocacy Programme (YEAP) regional session at the Mount Alvernia High School in St. James recently.

THE GLEANER: Minister of Education Ruel Reid has called for a deeper infusion of the right values and attitudes into education if the country is to effectively reduce violence.

 

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for Guys Hill High School in St Catherine at the Guys Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church last week, Reid said that education without values is meaningless.

 

“If you’re not careful, even those who have benefited from education could fall prey (to criminality),” he said.

 

“I’m saying all of this because there is a need for good values – values of honesty, values of respect, values of excellence, value of life,” said the education minister.

 

His comments came as the country fights an upsurge in murders, especially in western Jamaica.

 

Reid said that if wholesome “values and attitudes” are not made to complement efforts to transform the education system, then schools will churn out undisciplined students.

 

“What, then, would be the value and purpose of education?” he asked.

 

He urged graduates to become change agents and to make a difference by exerting positive influences over their peers.

 

Carlene Edwards, sponsorship and events manager at JN Bank, reminded the graduates that the difference they will make in their spheres will be based on the nurturing and caring they received while at Guys Hill High School.

 

Edwards, a former prefect and student council president at the school, urged graduates to be confident, bold and different as they make their journey towards higher education and into the world of work.

 

“Believe me when I say the seeds of confidence sown here will make you stand out from others. It will make you certain of who are and what you can accomplish,” the Guy’s Hill alumnus told graduates.

 

TWICE DEFEATED

“As our first national hero, Marcus Garvey, said, without confidence you are twice defeated in this race we call life. Therefore, to make a difference, young men and young ladies of Guys Hill, you will have to be bold; and to be bold you will have to be confident in who you are and what you can accomplish,” Edwards said.

 

Principal Joan Davis highlighted that the rural school, which caters to some 1,200 students from the parishes of St Mary, St Catherine and St Ann, achieved 100 per cent passes in various subjects in the 2016 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

 

Davis noted that the school has been encouraging students to sit some CSEC subjects from as early as third form. One of two students who sat exams last year passed three subjects, earning two distinctions and a credit.

 

At the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency (CAPE) level, the school has also been performing well. She said 100 per cent of the cohort passed communication studies, Caribbean studies, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, management of business, physical education and sports, sociology and tourism. The average pass for all CAPE examinations was 84 per cent.

 

“We are very proud of our achievement,” Mrs Davis declared. “Our vision is for our students to become critical thinkers and problem-solvers, who will be able to make meaningful contributions to Jamaica and beyond in this ever-changing world,” she concluded.

 

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

JIS: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is urging parents to support schools by becoming actively involved in Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

 

Mr. Green, who was speaking at the Pembroke Hall Primary School Excellence Awards ceremony on June 29 at the school, in Kingston, said that parents play an integral role in the development and success of the child, and implored them to work with teachers to instil discipline and respect in children.

 

He reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to improve the primary school sector, noting that the Ministry recognises the importance that early childhood institutions play in the foundation of a child’s education.

 

“If we get it right from early, then we won’t need to spend so much money when they get to high school trying to play catch-up. If they are learning properly from the basic and primary school level, then it will be easier,” he argued.

 

One major step being taken by the Government to improve the sector is the $1 billion budget allocation to these institutions for the 2017/18 academic year.

 

This is in line with the Ministry’s commitment to provide greater support to schools to improve the quality of education in Jamaica.

 

A bulletin issued by the Ministry states that all schools at the infant and primary levels will receive $2,500 per student, up from an average of $850.

 

All-age and junior high schools will get $19,000 per student, up from $1,100.

 

Schools will also continue to receive a maintenance grant of $50,000 and janitorial grant of $172,000 per school.

 

The money will be disbursed in four tranches beginning this month (June).

 

The second and third tranches will be given in September and December, respectively, and the final tranche will be handed over in April 2018.

 

Trophies and pins were presented to students of grades one to five in several categories – top student in class, high achievers, attendance and most improved.

 

CAPTION: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left), addresses parents and students at Pembroke Hall Primary School’s awards ceremony, held on June 29 at the school.

JIS: With a student population of between 10,000 and 12,000 in any given year, Jamaica’s community colleges have become a game changer in tertiary landscape.

 

In 1974, they were established to accommodate students pursuing sixth form studies.

 

Forty-three years later, the system has transformed into one of the most affordable, flexible and accessible means to tertiary education, offering to Jamaicans a variety of programmes ranging from continuing education, short courses, postgraduate diplomas, Associate and Bachelor’s degree.

 

Executive Director of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Dr. Donna Powell Wilson, tells JIS News that the programmes offered by the community colleges are some of the most affordable in the country. “We are not cheap but very affordable.

 

The cost to pursue a two-year Associate Degree is close to what a student will pay for one year of studies at a local university,” she says. She points out that community colleges have forged partnerships with local, regional and international institutions, to offer programmes to meet the educational needs of Jamaicans.

 

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) have been established with institutions such as Jamaica Theological Seminary, University of Technology, University of the West Indies and Monroe College in the United States.

 

Dr. Powell Wilson says that under the MOU with Monroe College, credits can be transferred to pursue a Bachelor’s degree, which means community colleges graduates will not have to redo the programmes, when they enrol in these institutions.

 

“We form associations with other institutions, so that our students are not at a disadvantage if they want to further their studies,” she says.

 

The local community colleges have also extended their offerings through franchising regionally to Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas Baptist Community College.

 

Dr. Powell Wilson points out that in response to the emerging needs of the local economy, the CCCJ has just completed the development of a logistics supply chain management programme in collaboration with the Niagara College and the Marine University of Newfoundland, Canada.

 

This, she says, is sponsored by the CARICOM Education for Employment Programme.

 

She adds that the CCCJ is working on developing a partnership with Hocking College in the United States so as to offer different types of programmes to students.

 

Meanwhile, Principal of Knox Community College and President of the Association of Principals and Vice Principals of Community Colleges, Dr. Gordon Cowans, says that one of the challenges is informing persons that tertiary education is accessible to every Jamaican.

 

“Tertiary education is in the reach of all Jamaicans irrespective of your age or academic performance. We have coverage for the island, we have programmes to meet each and every Jamaican who want to better their professional or academic experience. The CCCJ is responding to today’s challenges creating tomorrow’s opportunities,” he says.

 

Meanwhile, Principal of Excelsior Community College in Kingston and Chair of the Curriculum Development Committee in the CCCJ, Philmore McCarthy, tells JIS News that in an effort to strategically coordinate the work of the community colleges, the CCCJ was established in 2001 through an Act in Parliament.

 

Mr. McCarthy says that the main functions of the Council are to draft regulations to govern operations; standardise the offerings; and ensure that the community colleges maintain quality standards.

 

“They also work with the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) and use their standards to develop programme, hence majority of our programmes are accredited,” he points out.

 

The CCCJ members are made up of representatives from community colleges, other local tertiary institutions, the private sector and HEART Trust/NTA.

 

The community college system boasts a two plus two model and according to Mr. McCarthy, under this model, a student has the opportunity for the first two years to pursue an Associate Degree and the other two years to gain a Bachelor’s Degree.

 

“We are geared towards preparing our students for the workplace and for industries, as well as persons who want to go on to further studies. You find that a person will come in and do two years, go back to work and then they would come back to complete another two years for their Bachelor’s Degree,” he explains . Students have access to programmes in areas such as engineering, technology, business, hospitality and tourism management, agriculture, education (trainers of primary school teachers), humanities – criminal justice, social work, logistics, business process outsourcing and management.

 

To pursue an Associate Degree, individuals are required to have five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, inclusive of Mathematics and English or its equivalent. For a Bachelor’s Degree, an Associate Degree from an accredited programme is required.

 

There are eight community colleges in Jamaica in 25 different locations across the island. They are the Bethlehem Moravian College, Moneague College, the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), Excelsior Community College, Montego Bay Community College, Brown’s Town Community College, Portmore Community College and Knox Community College.

 

CAPTION: Executive Director of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica, Dr. Donna Powell Wilson (centre), addresses Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ recently. Observing from left are: Principal of Excelsior Community College in Kingston and Chair of the Curriculum Development Committee in the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (CCCJ), Philmore McCarthy, and Principal of Knox Community College and President of the Association of Principals and Vice Principals of Community Colleges, Dr. Gordon Cowans.

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has disbursed subventions totalling over $1.4 billion to secondary schools for the 2017/ 2018 academic year.

 

This was announced by Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, at a post- Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on June 28.

 

The Minister pointed out that this is the first of four tranches to be paid for the period.

 

“All schools that are due for funding from the Government by virtue of schedule, all those payments have been made – from early childhood to high school. All Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) payments, feeding payments and other grants have been made,” he said.

 

The Minister further informed that the budget has been increased to $200 million, up from $75 million, to procure 35,000 pieces of furniture for teachers and students for the new school year.

 

“We are way advanced and we expect to commence distribution of those furniture before July 31,” he said. 

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator, the Hon. Ruel Reid (left), engages first-form students of Campion College . (File Photo)

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information recently signed an agreement with Microsoft to provide administrative staff, teachers and students free access to Microsoft Office 365 tools, such as OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, across PCs, tablets and smartphones.

 

Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid during the signing said that the agreement with Microsoft is “a step forward in realising our mission of having a nation empowered by a dynamic system of care, education and training.”

 

“Now, more than ever, there’s an immediate need to accelerate the transformation of our education system, so we have students equipped with the knowledge needed to be productive members of our country in the 21st century, and teachers and staff that feel empowered with appropriate tools to transform the teaching-learning process,” Reid stated.

 

 

JIS: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI), in partnership with the National Education Trust (NET) and the University of Technology (UTech), is presently conducting inspections of infant, primary and secondary schools.

 

Some 971 schools are scheduled to be inspected under the Jamaica Safe Schools Project (JSSP), which is being managed by the World Bank to support the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) in mainstreaming disaster risk management in the regulation, planning, designing, construction and management of school infrastructure.

 

In a bulletin issued by the ministry, it was noted that the data-collection process from the inspections will be led by staff and students from UTech, who will function as supervisors and collectors, respectively.

 

The pilot phase of the project will be executed over the period June 26-29, with 45 schools in Kingston and five in St Andrew to be inspected.

 

The project began today with a team of at least two students from UTech going on site at selected schools to conduct the inspections.

 

This survey will comprise a site inspection of the compound, drawings and measurement of all buildings and an interview with the principal, or a senior member of staff.

 

The inspectors will need to access the buildings and the general compound to complete the inspections.