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Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (seated left), enjoys the performance of student of Santa Cruz Primary and Junior High, Daesharae Authurs, following her performance at the official launch of Jamaica Day activities at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle headquarters in Kingston, on February 4. Others (from second left) are: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Elaine Foster Allen; Chief Education Officer, Dr. Grace McLean; and Deputy Chief Education Officer, Dorrett Campbell. Schools islandwide will observe Jamaica Day activities on Friday, February 28, 2014 under the theme: ‘Celebrating Jamaica: Sporting Greatness in My Community’.

Schools Should Consider Including Cultural Studies in Curriculum – Minister Thwaites

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, says schools should consider incorporating cultural studies in their curriculum, in order to enable students to have a greater understanding and appreciation of their heritage. Rev. Thwaites was speaking at the official launch of...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (left), about to accept a gift basket from student at the Cross Keys High School, in Manchester, Amoy Woolry, at the recent launch of a Scholarship Fund, at the school, recently. The fund is geared at assisting a past student each year with a $300,000 tuition grant.

Cross Keys High to Help Past Students

University of Technology (UTech) Chancellor, the Most Edward Seaga (left), shares pleasantries with Olympic and World sprint champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a graduate of the institution, after presenting her with the Chancellor’s Medal, for outstanding achievements in sport, during the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) Caribbean Regional Forum on Higher Education delegates’ banquet at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and Spa, Rose Hall, St. James, on January 31.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Awarded UTECH Chancellor’s Medal

National Education Trust (NET) Director, Kathy Francis-McClure, addressing the recent dedication ceremony for the newly expanded Belair High School, in Mandeville, Manchester.

Cost Effective School Infrastructure Expansions Being Explored

Minister of Education, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites, addresses a logistics forum at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston today (Jan. 31). Listening (from second left) are: Senior Advisor to the Minister, Dr. Franklin Johnston; Chairman, Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), Joan Spencer-Ernandez; and Chairman of the Logistics and Investment Task Force in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Dr. Eric Deans. The forum was organised by the Logistics Task Force Sub-committee on Education and Training to provide an update on the progress made on the training and education aspect of the Logistics Hub initiative.

CMI Expands Logistics Training to Montego Bay

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, receives a painting from student at the Belair High School in Manchester, Tijesunimi Adekeye, which was done by fellow student, Alexander Taylor. Occasion was the dedication and official opening of the institution on Wednesday, January 29.

12 years ago Education

Thirty-three High Schools to be Expanded

The Government will be creating additional classroom space at the secondary level through the expansion of 33 institutions across the island during the 2014/15 fiscal year. Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, who made the announcement on Wednesday, January 29, said that the prefabricated construction method will be utilized, which is significantly cheaper than conventional processes. He said that...

President of the Library and Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA), Matthew Blake (2nd left), emphasises a point during discussion with (from left): Deputy Director General, Corporate Governance and Management, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Kirk Philips; Director General of the Planning PIOJ, Collin Bullock; and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Elaine Foster Allen at the opening of the two-day PIOJ/ LIAJA conference on January 30, at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston.

12 years ago Education

Libraries Urged to Facilitate Discussion on Logistics Hub

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Elaine Foster Allen, has urged libraries to open up the public discussion on the Jamaica logistics hub initiative, as more Jamaicans seek information about this major development project. She said because of their location in communities, libraries are ideally placed to be focal points for discussion, debates, discourse, and information on national development...

12 years ago Education

Principals Buoyed Following Meeting with Education Minister

Several issues arising from a Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) study regarding some high schools have now been clarified, following discussions involving the principals, the police, and officials from the Ministry of Education. The study, entitled ‘Education and Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates in Jamaica’, identified 18 secondary institutions as having been attended by a large number of convicts. At the...

Minister of Education, Hon. Ronald Thwaites (3rd left), observes while students at the Rollington Town Primary School, in Kingston, (from left, front row), Bianca Clarke (left), Jaide Littleton, and Ziggy Adams test one of the 57 computers donated by The Globe and Mail, a Canadian media group, recently. Others (from left) are: Chairman of the school Board, Garth Soares; Mayor of Kingston, Senator Angela Brown Burke; Principal of the school, Dr. Margaret Bailey; Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Robert Ready, Opposition Spokesperson on Youth, Culture and Gender Affairs, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, and General Manager for the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), Mr. Earl Jarrett.

12 years ago Education

Technology Makes a Difference at Rollington Town Primary

The Rollington Town Primary School, in Kingston, has seen a big rise in numeracy, moving from 36 per cent in 2012, to 66 per cent in 2013, an achievement that the institution’s leadership attributes to the use of technology. The school also saw its literacy level rising in the same period from 78 per cent to 80 per cent. Minister...

12 years ago EducationNational Security

JCF Study Opens Opportunities for Schools

The recent Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) study on prison inmates and links with some schools, which has caused discomfort among the schools identified, has served to open up more opportunities for these institutions to receive well needed assistance. This is according to at least two of the principals of the high/junior high schools highlighted in the research paper as having...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (left), converses with principal of Edwin Allen High School, Rev. Dr. Everton Walters and niece of the late Edwin Leopold Allen, Mrs. M. Gaynor, at the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Frankfield, Clarendon, on January 27.

12 years ago Education

Education Minister Favours Academic-Technical Fusion

The need for a fully transformed education system, which strategically fuses the academics with technical and vocational subjects, to meet the current needs of the labour market, has been emphasized by Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites. “There is demand for persons with technical, vocational, educational and training skill sets, as the 21st Century global labour market is pointing us...

Minister of Education, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites (right), responds to a question at a Jamaica House press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday, January 23, where he elaborated on the findings of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) report. At left is National Security Minister, Hon. Peter Bunting; and Minister of Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer (centre), who hosted the briefing.

12 years ago EducationNational SecurityOffice of the Prime Minister

JCF Study to Help, Not Shame Schools – Minister Thwaites

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, says that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) study, which found that a high percentage of convicts attended particular secondary schools, is not meant to shame or blame any institution. Rather, he said, special attention will be given to the 56 schools identified, in order to assist them, by providing more resources. “It is simply...