Mentorship Programme Launched for Primary-School Students in St. Ann

Grade-five students at three St. Ann schools are to receive dedicated guidance and encouragement through a new Custos Commando Mentorship pilot programme, launched by the St. Ann Justices of the Peace (JP) Association.

Almost 70 JPs have volunteered to mentor students at Exchange Primary, Ocho Rios Primary, and St. John’s Preparatory Schools.

Each JP will be paired with up to two students in need of mentorship, meeting with them at least twice per month to help build their confidence, character, and readiness for their final year of primary school.

The eleven-month programme runs through July 2026 and will conclude with a grand exit ceremony.

Custos Rotulorum of St. Ann, Hon. Joseph Issa, speaking in an interview at Tuesday’s (September 30) launch at Exchange Primary School, described the initiative as key to the parish’s vision of a “better day”.

“The children will have somebody other than their parent or their teacher who has gone through life and seen life to be able to lean on, to pick their brain, guide them and, hopefully, help them progress in life faster and in a better way than if they didn’t have a mentor helping,” he said.

JP and volunteer of the St. Ann JP Mentorship Initiative, Rose-Ann Virgo, highlighted that she had been a mentor for years at several other schools.

“Mentorship has always been near and dear to my heart because my philosophy is to be a part of the group of persons that transform St. Ann and, in turn, transform Jamaica,” she said.

“So, as a Justice of the Peace, you are now put in a position where you can give back by being that arm, that positive role model for these young persons,” Ms. Virgo noted.

Each volunteer is expected to submit a bimonthly update on their relationship with the mentees.

For his part, JP and Project Coordinator, Wesley Boynes, highlighted that the project serves as a ‘connector to resources’ and an elevation in life for the mentees who will be guided by ‘well-suited’ and upstanding JPs in the community, who are expected to work with the guidance counsellors of each school.

Mr. Boynes pointed out that grade five was the best grade of choice.

“We realised that a lot of support comes in grade six when it’s time for PEP (Primary Exit Profile). But a lot of times it’s too much, too late. So, we are saying, let’s take one year with them to prepare them for their exit year, so when they come into grade six, they are fully ready to take on the challenges of PEP and the pressure that comes with it,” he said.

Senior Education Officer of the Guidance Counselling Unit from Region Three, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Harlene Gordon-Riley, commended the programme, which she said facilitated character development.

“The Ministry of Education recognises the true measure of education, that it goes beyond academic achievement,” said Mrs. Gordon-Riley.

“It is also about equipping our young people with character, resilience, values and guidance that prepares them for the world of work, for family, for citizenship, for raising a generation that will come after them,” she continued.