NPTAJ to Expand Training

The National Parent Teachers’ Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), will be expanding its training programmes, in an effort to have at least 50 trained parents in each parish by next year.
This was disclosed by President of the NPTAJ, Miranda Sutherland, in an interview with JIS News.
“We have, in the past, provided training in conflict resolution and parenting skills. In 2009 we will continue to focus on training and not just the parents who have been trained, as we also want to train more trainers, so we can have this spread across the island,” she explained.
“We are saying that within each parish, you have at least 100 schools, and we need to have at least 50 persons trained within each parish as trainers, so they can be equipped to go out there and train the different schools PTAs, so we are inviting support for this kind of training,” she said.
The President is therefore appealing to service clubs and members of the private sector, to support the cause.
“If we can come together and provide a holistic approach to training, then this will be very effective.Support the NPTAJ with the requisite funding, and get parents to see the importance of attending PTAs, and being trained. We believe that their service activities will be greater enhanced,” she emphasised.
“Private sector bodies, you have a responsibility to give support to these families by allowing them to go off for PTA meetings. Some of the parents complain that they can’t go off to these meetings, because they are afraid they will lose their jobs, Mrs. Sutherland stressed.
The President pointed out that the organisation provides guidance to PTAs in some 900 schools islandwide.
The schools registered under the NPTAJ include Basic, Primary, All- age, Junior High and High, and they are encouraged to pay a registration fee to be part of the organisation.
“There is a fee that each group pays, depending on the category, and through that registration we provide monitoring support, leadership and training,” she noted.
Mrs. Sutherland also announced that the inaugural All President PTA seminar will take place on January 17 next year, and all PTA Presidents are expected to attend.
“The Presidents are expected to attend an all day leadership, social etiquette and HIV awareness seminar, because many times you find persons who are willing to become leaders of these organisations, but they are not equipped with the requisite skills to carry out their responsibilities, and so we have taken responsibility for that, through this seminar,” she explained.