IN MONEAGUE COLLEGE SPEECH JTA PRESIDENT CALLS FOR FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD SECTOR
The President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) says there needs to be a focus on the early childhood and primary sectors of the education system to end the practice of producing illiterate and innumerate students to enter high schools.
Dr Mark Smith says he welcomes the comments of the new Minister of Education, Skills, Information and Youth Senator Dana Morris Dixon who has said her focus will be on increasing literacy and numeracy in the early childhood and primary systems.
Dr Smith said under his leadership the JTA would work with Dr Dixon to help the system move forward.
He was delivering the annual Aubrey Phillips Lecture, on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at The Moneague College, St Ann, where Aubrey Phillips was the first Principal. The event took place in the lecture theatre named after Dr Aubrey Phillips.
(Guild President Daniel Wallace poses a question while, at right, a section of the audience is shown)
The JTA President said: “Too many of our children are getting to high school being illiterate and innumerate. We are having children going through the early childhood and primary sectors and they are presenting themselves at high school being unable to read and write at the required level.”
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
(Dr Nadine Muschette chairing the lecture programme)
He said it was expected that when children got to high school they would “have a mastery of the language…a certain mastery of mathematical concepts and [be] able to express yourself in writing.” He said if the child entering high school was not at that stage then that student required up to ten times more resources for remediation compared to one who was ready for high school.
(Vice Principal Dr Jacqueline Thames giving the welcome)
Dr Smith said creating a superstructure on a poor foundation as was being attempted in education in Jamaica was not wise. Dr Smith, principal of Munro College, said the focus now had to turn to the early childhood (EC) system.
He said many of the EC institutions had quality issues. He said the majority were privately owned and he posed the question of whether it was now time for greater government intervention in them.
Dr Smith spoke on several issues affecting the education system and its relationship to society, including economic growth, and on how Jamaicans behave.
Remarks from Principal Howard Isaacs were read by Vice Principal for Academics, Kenene Senior, as Mr Isaacs was unavoidably absent.
(Sharing notes at the end of the lecture)
The programme was chaired by Senior Lecturer Dr Nadine Muschette.
Remarks from Principal Howard Isaacs were read by Vice Principal for Academics, Kenene Senior, as Mr Isaacs was unavoidably absent.
(Second-year student Daveon Nugent from the Linstead Campus asks a question of the Guest Lecturer. Students from the Linstead and Galina campuses sent in questions some of which were taken. The lecture was streamed live giving access beyond the Main Campus at Moneague)
Also participating in the programme, before the start of the lecture, were Dr Jacqueline Thames, Vice Principal for Student and Administrative Affairs; Deputy Board Chairman, Rev Michael Llewellyn; Board Member, Dr Kenneth Russell, and Lecturer Delpha Frater Walker.
The Coll;ege’s Music Club presented a thrilling rendition of “Legend“. Guild President Daniel Wallace did the vote of thanks and Deputy Guild Vice President Ruthan Henry made a presentation to the Guest Lecturer.
Look out for the videos and other stories of the event on North Coast Times platforms
