Education Minister Commends Student For Teaching Others During Pandemic

Minister of Education Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, has hailed 14-year-old Kelvin Peart of Queenhythe, Discovery Bay, St. Ann, for taking on the selfless task of tutoring students in his community who have been impacted by the closure of schools, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelvin, a grade-eight student of Ferncourt High School in Claremont, St. Ann, transformed an old bar adjacent to his home into a classroom, where he has been tutoring children at the early-childhood and primary levels since May.

Minister Williams, along with a team from the Ministry’s Region Three office, visited the teenager today (June 3) to get a first-hand view of what he is doing as well as to commend the youngster for his noble gesture.

Speaking with journalists following a sit-down with Kelvin, Mrs. Williams expressed gratitude to the teenager for looking out for the nation’s children and recognising the importance of education to nation-building.

“Not a lot of young men of his age would have had the thought to help others in terms of their educational pursuits, but he did. He brought the children here and despite the fact that the circumstances might not be perfect or the best, he gathered them around and is doing the best that he can in terms of engaging them in their educational journey,” she said.

The Minister noted that Kelvin is a prime example of the type of young men that are needed to help transform the nation.

“We value education in Jamaica and we value education among our young men in particular, so when you see a young man like Kelvin who is attending high school and has this sense about him, you have to commend him and hold him up as an example of what we would like to see in our young boys as they progress through life,” Mrs. Williams said.

Kelvin told JIS News that he is happy to be making a positive impact on the children in his community.

He said the goal is to help keep the younger generation motivated to learn during the pandemic.

The aspiring paediatrician noted that the experience has been great and the students are “cooperative, they listen and they do their schoolwork”.

Meanwhile, Minister Williams presented Kelvin with classroom supplies, including books, pencils and other supplies to assist with his efforts.

The Minister also presented six students tutored by the teenager with tablet computers, courtesy of the Rotary Club of New Kingston, and sim cards with one year’s free data.