Continue Giving to Education- Adele Brown

Adele Brown, Acting Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has called on schools, teachers, parents and students to continue giving to the cause of education.
Mrs. Brown, who was speaking at the awards ceremony of the Lister Mair Gilby High School for the Deaf off Old Hope Road, encouraged the students not to let anyone or their disability hinder them from achieving their dreams. “Do not let anyone break your spirit. You should not lose sight of your dreams. They should not only be dreams but also become realities,” she told them.The Education Officer commended the leadership of the school and pledged the support of the Ministry in sticking with its policy: ‘Every child can learn and every child must will learn’.
She also informed that the Heart Trust/NTA had pledged to assist the school further with its vocational curriculum.
Principal of the School, Clara M. Ricketts in presenting her report, said that enrolment of high school students had decreased significantly during the year, with the student population now at 55. This decrease, she said, had led to adjustments in terms of staff and activities within the school.
The adult education programme has however increased its numbers from 20 to 60, with passes being obtained in every subject sat in last year’s Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) tests.
Ms. Ricketts thanked the Education Ministry, the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, and service clubs such as the Optimist, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs for their continuous support.
Chairman of the Jamaica Association for the Deaf, Herbert Hall pledged the continued involvement of the association in the school and told the gathering that all his executives would learn sign language.
He urged the students to strive for excellence, noting that, “deaf children can reach the level of hearing children ..it has to be a combination of will, time and desire of all stakeholders to ensure that the level of education is produced that can fit challenged students into the society”.
Keith Daley, General Manager of Victoria Mutual Property Services and member of the Rotary Club of Kingston, presented Ms. Ricketts with a cheque to assist needy students in the school.