PM Awards PEP Achievers

Children of employees at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and the Office of the Cabinet were on Tuesday (August 23) awarded for successfully completing the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, presented the awards at Banquet Hall, Jamaica House, in a special ceremony that was also streamed online.

Mr. Holness congratulated the 10 awardees who will be attending high schools across the country, when the new school year commences in September.

He pointed out that while the return to full face-to-face classes is highly welcomed, he is still encouraging students, who have all engaged in two years of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to continue incorporating information technology in their studies.

“I am certain that all our PEP graduates are Internet-savvy. You are digital natives, so you can find information online in the same way that you are adept at manipulating your phones to get the newest games, the newest music, TikTok, Twitter and so forth. You can also use your instruments to get the information that you will need to support you in your subjects,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that there is a plethora of websites and online resources, including material from the Ministry of Education, that students can pursue to help them keep up with their learning at high school.

The Prime Minister also noted that, increasingly, students may become bombarded with various kinds of information and urged them to be ‘constant learners’ who are able to determine “what is sense from nonsense”.

“As you grow up to take over the society, you have to be well-schooled in information literacy,” Mr. Holness said.

Other remarks at the function came from Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders and Senior Director/Human Resource Development Manager, OPM, Heather Colquhoun-Smith, who represented Permanent Secretary, Hon. Audrey Sewell.

Awardee, Xalaya Johnson, who will be attending the St Mary High School, delivered the reply on behalf of the young group.

“We pledge to do our best as we nervously yet anxiously enter our various institutions. These awards will be seen as emblems to motivate us as we work earnestly to take our places in this beautiful country, Jamaica the land we love,” she said.