Diaspora Educators Ready to Fill Gaps in Jamaica
By: , June 21, 2013The Full Story
Member of the Diaspora Board, in the United States, Professor Susan Davis, says education experts exist in the Jamaican overseas community, and are ready to fill gaps in the system that have been identified by the Ministry of Education.
Speaking at the just concluded 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Professor Davis said in the areas of Special Education, Science, Mathematics, and Information Technology, overseas Jamaican educators are “willing” to work with teachers in the country to bring the system to levels of acceptability.
“We have expertise in the Diaspora, willing, able and waiting to assist in these areas. Let us make this happen. This is a borderless Jamaica, partner with us,” she urged.
“We just want to help, because we are all Jamaicans. This is where our hearts are, and we need to get away from the ‘them and us, home and abroad mentality’. We must focus on our students…the young people, that are our goal, and it doesn’t matter where the help is coming from,” the Professor added.
Meanwhile, several delegates attending the Conference said it was productive, “head and shoulders above others. ”
“This one was more clearly organized. You felt a sense of partnership, and I felt accomplished. I hope we will see work going forward,” one delegate told JIS News.
Delegate from the United Kingdom, Yvonne Kerr, said the conference seemed to give more recognition to recommendations made during the deliberations.
“It was very good, and I feel that our contributions are more recognized by the authority,” she said.
For her part, Director of the Western Jamaica Campus of the University of the West Indies, Dr. Luz Longworth, said the sessions were productive.”
“I thought it (conference) was a tremendous success, as they (delegates) looked at some serious issues in a practical way. I was very impressed with the emphasis on implementation, rather than just talk, and a lot will come out of these three days,” she said.
By Garfield Angus, JIS Reporter