Jamaican News

Efforts Being Made To Improve Equality In Education

Minister with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, says efforts are being made to improve equality, through the pairing of institutions.

Addressing Board Chairmen and Principals at a regional consultation session, held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, on January 29, the Minister said this is being done through the Twinning of Schools initiative, in which more than 50 schools are participating.

“So far, it has worked. I want to single out one of the schools, Ardenne High. I am singling them out because of the enthusiastic support that we have received from the Principal, Nadine Malloy, who jumped and willingly embraced the concept,” Mr. Samuda said.

The Twinning of Schools initiative aims to expose students to academic and extracurricular programmes that are not currently available at their own schools.

It also gives teachers and student leaders an opportunity to share ideas and best practices with their colleagues in other institutions.

Among the participating schools are Ardenne, Pembroke Hall, Haile Selassie and Holy Trinity High, and Campion College, in Kingston and St. Andrew.

The Minister told the gathering that he wants to see more schools participating in the initiative.

Meanwhile, Mr. Samuda is hoping for better results in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

“I hope and pray that those results will be better than the previous ones, because what I am intending to promote is the reservation of a certain number of seats in the traditional high schools with kids that are coming from the more challenged areas, so that we can begin the process of integration,” he said.

“We need reintegration at the educational level, and there are some parents who express apprehension at the thought. Well, let me tell you from personal experience, there is very little that separates the children in these traditional high schools from the children in the non-traditional,” Mr. Samuda added.

The PEP has replaced the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), and was used to place students in high schools for the 2019/20 academic year.

SOURCE: JIS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *