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Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (right), listens as student of St. Andrew College, Ricardo Martin (left), explains his school’s 4-H Club display which was mounted during the Kingston 4-H Clubs’ Annual Parish Achievement Day at the Duhaney Park Primary School, in Kingston, on February 21. Looking on (from second left) are: Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs Board, Clifton Grant; and Executive Director of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, Ronald Blake.

4-H Clubs Encouraged to Supply Food to Schools

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, is encouraging the country’s 4-H clubs to supply some of the food needed for the Government’s school feeding programme, through the different agricultural pursuits. Lamenting that the Ministry is spending $4 billion a...

From left: Senior Director Workforce Development and Employment at HEART, Denworth Finnikin; Regional Director in the Ministry of Education Region 3, Maxine Headlam; Custos of St. Ann, Hon. Norma Walters; and Executive Director, HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Wayne Wesley, look at the plaque and new logo of the HEART College of Hospitality Services. Occasion was the official renaming ceremony of the Runaway Bay HEART Hotel and Training Institute, held on Thursday, February 20, at the facility in St. Ann.

Runaway Bay HEART Hotel Renamed

Minister of Education, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites (right), explains the use of the computer keyboard to young Gerald Bolton (seated), at the opening of the refurbished laboratory at the Voluntary Organization for the Upliftment of Children (VOUCH) in Kingston on February 21. Others looking on are: President Elect, Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), Doran Dixon; and Principal, VOUCH, K. Bromfield. Ten computers, valued at $600,000, were donated by the JTA.

Development of VOUCH as Special Needs Centre Begins September

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, unveils a plaque on February 20 dedication ceremony at the Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore, St. Catherine. Applauding (from left) are: Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites; Principal of the school, Otis Brown; Chairman, Board of Governors, Rev. Dr. Wellesley Blair; and Advisor to the Prime Minister, Delano Franklyn.

PM Urges Church to Play a Greater Role in Schools

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller on February 20 added her voice to the “clarion call” for churches to reengage its mission of values training by reaching the country’s youths through an increased partnership with the education sector. She made the appeal at the dedication ceremony of the Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore, St. Catherine which is a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the New Testament Church of God in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Photographed at right are: Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Cedar Grove Academy, Rev. Dr. Roy Notice (slightly hidden), Chairman of the School Board, Rev. Dr. Wellesly Blair, Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Member of Parliament, Hon. Arnaldo Brown, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Elaine Foster-Allen and Acting Mayor of Portmore, Councillor Leon Thomas.

Prime Minister Calls on Church to Increase its Partnership With the Education Sector

12 years ago Education

Government Seeking Partners to Expand Schools

The National Education Trust (NET) is eager to partner with philanthropic and investor interests in expanding and modernising the country’s school plants. This was the word from Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, as he addressed the dedication ceremony for The Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore, St. Catherine, on Thursday, February 21. The school is the first to be...

12 years ago Education

More Computers for Children at VOUCH

Students at the Voluntary Organization for the Upliftment of Children (VOUCH), Heroes Park, in Kingston, are now in a better position to learn more about information technology, as they have received 10 new computers. The computers, valued at $600,000, have been donated by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA). There are now 14 computers in the laboratory. Speaking at the official...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (right), is welcomed by Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board Member, Leo Gilling, at the opening ceremony of the Diaspora Education Summit, which is being held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay from February 18 to 21, under the theme:

12 years ago Education

Mandatory Course in Special Education

Beginning this September, a mandatory course in Special Education is expected to be included in the curriculum of teachers’ colleges across the island. Making the announcement on February 20, Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, said heads of teachers’ colleges have been instructed to incorporate the course as part of the Government’s increased focus on special education. “We expect that...

Director of the Culture in Education Programme in the Ministry, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, expressed the Ministry’s satisfaction with the implementation of the civics curriculum at a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday, February 18.

12 years ago Education

Education Ministry Satisfied With Progress of Civics Programme

The Ministry of Education is advancing the teaching of Garveyism in schools, while reporting satisfaction with the progress of the Civics in Schools Programme now being rolled out in institutions across the island. The civics programme was officially introduced to the school curriculum during the 2012/13 academic year to mark Marcus Garvey’s 125th birthday. The teachings of Garvey form a...

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, raps with Vice-Principal at the St. Aloysius Primary School, Nichara Johnson-Simpson (left), and students, following an address to the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) on February 19, at the institution located downtown Kingston.

12 years ago Education

Parents Urged to Set Good Examples for Children

Education Minister, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, is again urging parents to set good examples for their children that will help to build their character. He was addressing a meeting of the St. Aloysius Primary School’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA), on February 20, downtown, Kingston, where he spoke on matters of proper parenting. The Education Minister insisted that building character...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (right) and Principal of Brown

12 years ago DiasporaEducationVision 2030

Education Minister Calls on Diaspora to Invest in Infrastructure

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, has called on the Jamaica Diaspora groups to explore investing in education infrastructure, through public-private partnerships. “We fully understand the need for investments and this is a reasonable business proposition. I challenge the Diaspora and the financial agencies in Jamaica to move forward in this direction,” the Minister said. Rev. Thwaites was delivering...

Minister of Education, Hon. Ronald Thwaites (right), speaks to Central High School student, Mahalia Gordon, about the ingredients in her natural seasoning blend, when he visited the school in May Pen, Clarendon recently. The Minister purchased a jar of the product, called: ‘Gordonna’s Everybody’s Natural Blend,’ and commended the young innovator.

12 years ago Education

Student Making Waves with Natural Seasoning

At a time when focus is being placed on entrepreneurship and small business development, one enterprising young lady is taking the charge to start her own business, while still in high school. She is 18-year-old Mahalia Gordon, a student at the Central High School in May Pen, who has developed ‘Gordonna’s Everybody’s Natural Blend’. The condiment, formulated from locally grown...