Back to School Broadcast by the Hon. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education and Youth Theme: ReConnected, ReNewed and ReCommitted! MOEY Re -Charged for 2023 And Beyond

Happy New Year and my warmest greetings to all Jamaicans. 

Monday, January 9 will be the first school day of  the Easter term in this new year.  

Let me acknowledge the work of the various stakeholders at all levels of the education sector:  our school boards, our principals, our teachers, the administrative staff in our schools and of course those at central ministry and in the regions. It is your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education that will lead to the transformation in the sector.   

Starting this team, we will be teaching civics in all of our schools, not just in the 95 schools that currently do so.   We are aware of the various social issues and the need for an intentional and intensive focus on students’ development of civic virtues. We understand the need to encourage national pride in our children from an early age. Civics in schools will serve as a foundational pillar for students to develop those critical soft skills and become the Jamaican’s we want them to be.   

Our emphasis this term as well and going forward will also be on Parent-teacher cooperation as we seek the complete and harmonious development of our student’s character so that we begin to see more of the desirable behaviour; less fighting among our students, healthy habits and positive attitudes in personal and social life.  

 As we start the new term, the preparation for PEP6 is well advanced and demands engagement with the National Standard Curriculum as an important part of the preparations. The Curriculum-Based Tests and the Performance Tasks require that students use the knowledge, skills and concepts, to which they should have been exposed to be adequately prepared for these tests.  The PEP Online Portal remains an invaluable support resource for students as they advance their preparations for the 2023 examinations. The site can be accessed by logging on at: 

https://moey.gov.jm/primary-exit-profile-pep/ then click on resources. 

I USE this opportunity as well to welcome the newly appointed school board members in Region 3 (St. Ann, Trelawney) and extend my appreciation to you for volunteering to serve in this vital aspect of our schools’ governance. To the existing board chairs and members who continue to offer service to Jamaica’s education system, I thank you. We ask that you consistently and steadfastly monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plans that our principals, teachers and the regions have agreed that will move performance in our schools to more acceptable levels.  The attention of the Boards on the School Improvement Plans has shown to make a difference in the performance of our schools.   

We have been moving forward in the implementation of the education transformation initiatives.  We are committed to continue engaging in dialogue with our school communities, our key stakeholders and the wider public through a variety of communication channels to get support for the continuing transformation of the education sector. The focus has been and will continue to be on implementing the recommendations of the Jamaica Education Transformation Committee.  

The Ministry of Education and Youth will continue to strive to ensure that all schools focus on educational equity and find ways to partner, support and create opportunities that make our educational institutions, facilities where all children will enjoy learning, playing, developing strong relationships, whilst continuing to grow each day socially, emotionally, and academically. Once again, Happy New Year and best wishes for a safe, productive and prosperous 2023! And may God continue to bless Jamaica, Land We Love.