Ministry of Education & Youth
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Minister Henry-Wilson Urges Parents to become more Involved in their Children's Education
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KINGSTON (JIS)
Thursday, June 01, 2006
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Minister of Education and Youth Maxine Henry-Wilson has said that her ministry endorsed early childhood education as a major development priority, and as such, would launch a series of parenting seminars to involve parents in the learning process.
"Early childhood education is a partnership between the school, the community and the private sector and the schools alone cannot do it if the parents do not play their part. As such, we will be having parenting seminars to see how we can help parents become more involved in their children's education," she said.
She was speaking today (May 31) at the rededication ceremony of the Mount Ogle Basic School in Lawrence Tavern, which was destroyed by fire in 2004.
Minister Henry-Wilson, in an appeal to parents said "it might seem as though we are over emphasising (the involvement of parents), but your children are your responsibility. You must make sure that you invest in them, so that in time, they will be the world's greatest".
Mrs. Henry-Wilson emphasised that parents and the wider community would need to invest their time and other resources to further develop what the CHASE Fund and the Education Ministry had started.
The new facility comprises three blocks and a play area, which will serve some 200 children between the ages of three and eight years. It was constructed at a cost of some $9 million by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund.
Chairman of the Fund's Education Committee, Audrey Chin told JIS News that the "team project" between the Ministry of Education, CHASE and the community would with the help of the community, give the children of the Mount Ogle Basic School a good start in life.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for West Rural St. Andrew, Andrew Gallimore thanked the Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE fund, Billy Heaven for seeing the project to completion.
"We can say all is well that ends well and parents and teachers here will agree with me that we are exceedingly glad to have the building ready," he commented.
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