Latest

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, is calling for the church to have a more dynamic presence in schools. This, she said, is in order to help in shaping the lives of students, who are being prepared to...

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

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: 'Advancing education initiative: A strategic alliance with the Diaspora'. At centre is the Senior Secretary, Administration and Finance, Jamaica Teachers' Association, Mrs. Lorraine Judith Spencer-Jarrett.

Mandatory Course in Special Education

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.

Education Ministry Satisfied With Progress of Civics Programme

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.

Parents Urged to Set Good Examples for Children

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...

12 years ago Education

Stakeholder Meetings to Inform School-Based Crime Prevention Plan

Chairman of the Crime Prevention Programme in the Ministry of Education, Professor Frederick Hickling, says meetings will be held with the various stakeholders before an action plan is created to deal with behavioural problems in schools. “What we have to do is to get the people, who have knowledge, information and experience in this area to come together, sit down...

12 years ago Education

Ministry Embarks on Programme to Improve Science Education

The Ministry of Education will, over the next three months, commence work on a special initiative aimed at enhancing science education in primary and high schools islandwide. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, who made the announcement during a recent meeting at the Ministry, said Senior Advisor, Radley Reid, will lead the undertaking. The aim is to facilitate the establishment...

12 years ago Education

Jamaican Group Promoting Science in Local Schools

The Society for Scientific Advancement (SoSA), a volunteer group of scientists from the island’s three largest universities and in the Diaspora, has been working to advance scientific knowledge among primary and secondary students. They are on a mission to create an atmosphere within which science can flourish to drive development within Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. Speaking with JIS News,...

Minister of Education, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites.

12 years ago Education

Education Ministry Prohibits Screening of Students Entering Primary Schools

The Ministry of Education has advised administrators of public primary schools that it is a violation of the Education Regulations 1980 to require students to sit a screening examination before they can be considered for admission to schools. In an advisory issued last week Chief Education Officer, Dr Grace McLean directed school administrators to accept on a first-come, first-serve basis...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (seated, second left); and Chairman of the Portmore Cluster of Schools and Principal of the Portmore HEART Academy, Karen Kennedy; affix their signature to a Memorandum of Understanding which solidifies the collaboration of a cluster of Portmore-based schools in advancing the Ministry’s ‘Respect Agenda’ campaign, while Executive Director, PetroCaribe Development Fund, Dr. Wesley Hughes (second right); and Campaign Programme Co-ordinator, Reginald Budhan (right); look on. Other signatories pictured (standing, from left), are Principals of Waterford High, Oliver Holness; Ascot High, Cedrick Murray; Bridgeport High, Aston Messam; and Cumberland High, Michael Brydson while Chief Education Officer, Grace McLean is at right. The signing took place at the Portmore HEART Academy in St. Catherine on February 14.

12 years ago Education

Portmore Schools Sign Pact to Improve Students’ Behaviour

Eight educational institutions based in Portmore, St. Catherine, have formed a cluster through which they will share best practices aimed at enhancing student behaviour and learning outcomes. The group is to lead the ‘Respect Agenda’ campaign that seeks to re-socialise students in civil values such as respect, honesty, discipline and hard work. The objective is to transform the behaviour of...