MONTEGO BAY, St James — Sixty -eight teachers from western Jamaica have been awarded master's degrees in Educational Leadership and Reading from the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in the United States.

Their achievement was facilitated through a joint programme between the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in St James, and the CCSU.

At the recent graduation ceremony held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Dean of the School of Education at CCSU Dr Mitchell Sakofs in applauding the graduates said, "today is an affirmation of many things and in particular your hard work, dedication and your intellectual achievements."

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Rev Ronald Thwaites who delivered the keynote address stressed the importance of a good education.

"Those in the education system who do not respect the value of an education, their corner is dark in our future. We must recognise the huge importance of us making best use of the facilities and the resources that we have pledged," he stressed. Jamaica, he noted, spends 14 per cent of its budget on education annually, which he claimed is more than any other country in the Caribbean, except Cuba.

"The question is are we getting the outcomes, the results, the dividends for that which we are investing?," Rev Thwaites asked.