Ministry of Education

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As part of its mandate to further develop the country's youth through education, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture continues to implement various programmes and policies to this end
Among the latest initiatives to be introduced is the Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme, which is now being implemented in a number of secondary and tertiary institutions across the island. The award programme will eventually be introduced to all schools around the island.

Monica Holness, Acting Assistant Chief Educator in the Guidance Counsellor Unit of the Ministry of Education, which is responsible for the training of principals and guidance counsellors in participating schools, informs JIS News that the Ministry is carrying out orientation at several Secondary schools across the island.

"The support has been very good as we have called a number of principals and guidance counsellors," she says, adding that the Ministry as well as the Secretariat of the Duke of Edinburgh programme had done orientation in regions five and two, which comprises those schools in Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Portland.

On Tuesday (April 5) orientation continued in Region three which include schools in St. Ann, Trelawny and parts of St. Mary, while the training of trainers will be held at Merle Grove High School today and tomorrow (April 9 and 10).

Meanwhile, State Minister in the Ministry, Dr. Donald Rhodd says the Ministry has reviewed and analyzed the programme and is satisfied that the social benefits to be gained from this programmme are necessary and pertinent at this time.

"The Ministry is therefore taking the necessary steps to have the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme implemented in all schools across the length and breath of Jamaica," he said.

As sensitization and orientation activities begin throughout the schools, officers of the Ministry's Guidance and Counselling department in conjunction with personnel from the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Programme are seeking to identify one or more teachers in each school to take charge of the programme in their respective institutions.

The Duke of Edinburgh programme has given young people the opportunity to discover ideas for themselves through a graduated programme of experience. Minister Rhodd notes that the Award scheme presents to young people a balanced, non-competitive programme of voluntary activities, which encourages responsibility, self-reliance, personal discovery and perseverance.

"Challenge is the essence of the concept. The value to the scheme of Adult Helpers is paramount and fundamental. Adults have a wealth of experience, abilities and attitudes which can have a profound influence on the development of young people," he says adding that the programme re-affirms and re-emphasizes that the involvement and dedication of adults is absolutely critical to the youth development success.

The Minister notes that the Government of Jamaica, after a long process of consultation with the citizens has decided to effect a programme of transformation in the education sector.

"There is need for a broader scope, and also the need to achieve better results. True education means more than the pursuing of a certain course of study. It means more than the preparation to pass the CXC's or for a set career. Education must deal with the whole being and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual powers," he says.

Education Dr. Rhodd adds has a vital role to play in the attainment of personal and national objectives. To this end, he said the design and provision of education must seek to enable all children and young people to be knowledgeable, to possess positive attitudes and relevant skills, to be exemplars of good citizenship and to believe in the equality of humanity. He says education should also enable young people to be self-confident in planning their future and to be committed to the preservation and enhancement of the environment.

This philosophy of education, he points out, advances the view that quality education must do more than equip persons to secure and maintain gainful employment. Rather, it must prepare them not only to have a positive approach towards change but also to be thinkers, innovators and problem-solvers.

"Moreover, it inculcates the best social values, promotes human understanding and the appreciation of the dignity in all labour," the State Minister notes, adding that this is where the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme and other such programmes like Cadets, Scouts, and the 4-H Clubs must become a necessary and even perhaps a mandatory part of the education process.

"These programmes will serve to complete our students; preparing them for the world of work where academics are no longer the only criteria to determine suitability for employment," he says.

A plan for youth development, the State Minister emphasizes, must continue to be inclusive as there is a role for non governmental organisations, government agencies, the church, the family, youth service organizations, the private sector, schools, youth clubs, and international partners.

He points out that youth development planning needs to be sustainable. "It must meet the needs of the youth of the day without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

The concrete priority objectives and strategies for youth development in Jamaica for the next ten years State Minister Rhodd points out are contained in the National Strategic Plan-document (NSPYD).

"The NSPYD builds on the framework which is outlined in the National Youth Policy. The policy outlines the vision and the direction we want to trod, the NSPYD outlines how we will get there, who is responsible for what developmental goals, how much time is needed to achieve those goals and how much it will cost," he explains.

Dr. Rhodd notes that the NSPYD process is at an end, hence consultations will be held shortly to finalize the plan for Youth Development for the next 10 years in Jamaica.

He says all are invited to participate in this process and ensure their views are taken into consideration by calling the National Centre for Youth Development at 924-9116.

"I have confidence that much of the strategies and plans outlined will come to fruition. My confidence rests on my knowledge of the process by which the plan was created. The process was collaborative and consultative. The NSPYD was created through partnerships. It is via partnerships that any sustainable developmental goals will be achieved in the future," he states.

It is the Minister's hope that introduction of this NSPYD will cause a chain reaction of responsible action to occur that will inspire those in the youth sector to reach for higher ideals, work harder to achieve their goals, and focus more intently on what must be done to cause youth development in Jamaica to "take off".

"I cannot over-emphasize the urgency and importance for an increased interest to be shown at this time," Dr. Rhodd said. In the Youth Development sector, he says it will be timely as Jamaica prepares to participate in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), as the youth will be the ones most affected by the CSME.

"How prepared they are for the socio-economic changes that will occur is the challenge of the NSPYD. The Ministry through the National Centre for Youth Development is committed to lead the way forward in re-positioning the nation's youth so that the advantages of the CSME may be realized in this new environment," he says.

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