Diaspora Urged to Lend Expertise in Assisting Special Needs Students

Jamaicans living overseas with training in speech and occupational therapy are being urged to collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Youth to provide services for local students with special needs.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the call during the ‘Transforming Education in Jamaica in the Digital Era’ session at the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St. James, on Tuesday (June 18).

She said that the Ministry has been making strides in enhancing services for special needs students islandwide and is actively calling on qualified diaspora professionals to lend their expertise to strengthen the support being provided.

“At the end of the day, we want 100 per cent of our students to be achieving, to be excelling in whatever field that they choose, and that is what the education system is programmed to do,” she noted.

Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe, indicated that Jamaica currently operates 20 publicly funded exclusive schools catering to students with special needs.

In areas where public facilities cannot accommodate them, the Government partners with private entities to offer services.

She noted that one area of need is the provision of assessment services.

“It’s very expensive, and what the Government has done is to build out assessment service programmes right across the country. So, we have an assessment service programme at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, Church Teachers’ College, The Mico Care Centre, and we are building a new one in Portland at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE),” Dr. Troupe informed.

Moreover, she pointed out that students with special needs who can function in regular school settings benefit from pull-out sessions with specialised educators.

These educators, known as student assessment pathway coaches, are placed in schools to also support teacher training, co-teaching, and co-planning.

Dr. Troupe said 167 high schools are currently benefiting from the presence of these support coaches.

The 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference is being held from June 16 to 19, under the theme ‘United for Jamaica’s Transformation: Fostering Peace, Productivity, and Youth Empowerment’.

The event brings together more than 1,100 members of the diaspora, stakeholders from various sectors, and local Jamaican leaders to explore synergistic strategies that address key challenges and harness opportunities for transformative change.