JIS: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, is condemning the recent killing of educators Clevon Campbell and Samuel Martin.

 

“Those acts are cowardly; they are dastardly acts committed against two of the vanguards of the guardians of hope and prosperity of our nation, and we must speak out against it,” he said.

 

The State Minister was addressing teachers at the Helen Stills Professional Development Day ceremony, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James on Thursday (May 9).

 

“Jamaica must recognise the important role that our teachers play, and if we speak about appreciating our teachers, if we speak about loving and respecting our teachers, then we must speak every single day about loving and respecting and honouring their lives. When you kill a teacher you kill a nation, and that is the message I want us to take (from) here today. That is the message that every single one of you must take to your classrooms [and] to your communities,” he said.

 

The State Minister further appealed to members of Mr. Campbell’s community of Portmore, St. Catherine, to assist the police in finding the perpetrators of the crime.

 

He also implored the gathering to never forget the work of the deceased educators, as they served to make an impact on the lives of their students.

 

Meanwhile, Mr. Terrelonge praised the teachers for the work that they do daily to empower and develop the nation.

 

“Without the teachers there is no hope; without you teachers there is no development; without you teachers there is no prosperity for our nation, because you empower every single one of us. Every single one of you here is the end result of a teacher. I am the end result of a teacher. I am the product of you, the work that you have done, and I thank you for everything you do to ensure the prosperity and success of our nation,” Mr. Terrelonge said.

 

For his part, President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Dr. Garth Anderson, said the day was set aside to reflect on professional growth and development with the view to assess and recalibrate.

“As members of this esteemed profession, it is paramount that we engage in the latest research and developments in education, so that we can be innovative in (our) approach to teaching and learning,” he said.

 

“We must recommit today to the promotion of the teaching profession as a beacon of hope and inspiration to the nation. After all, we are the architects of the education system with the responsibility to shape minds, inspire hope and reframe the society in which we live,” the President added.

 

The event, which was hosted by the JTA, is named in recognition of former Knox College Principal, Helen Stills. It was held under the theme ‘Empowering Educators: Retooling, Innovating, Networking for Sustainable Development’.

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, addresses teachers at the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Helen Stills Professional Development Day, staged at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, in St. James on Thursday (May 9).

 

CAPTION: Minister of State in the Ministry of Education , Youth and Information , Hon. Alando Terrelonge (right), engages President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Dr. Garth Anderson, during the JTA’s Helen Stills Professional Development Day, held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James on Thursday (May 9).