LAST Friday, principals and teachers from the Eastern Region were feted at the Teachers’ Awards Luncheon 2013 at the Jamaica Observer headquarters in Kingston.

The afternoon, which started as a celebration of the teachers, turned into a frank discussion between the school heads and the guest speaker at the function, Minister of Education Rev Ronald Thwaites.

The day’s proceedings began with sponsor’s addresses from JOL, Flow and Seprod, with each showing their appreciation to the honoured guests — the teachers.

Flow, in particular, used the opportunity to report on its recent strides in education.

Among the areas highlighted was Flow’s project to provide schools islandwide with Internet and cable, which recently saw the addition of seven institutions in Clarendon, serving a total of approximately 170 schools.

Flow Public Relations Manager Jeanette Lews said the company aims to “bridge the digital divide and level the playing field” between the island’s best and worst schools.

The communications company will also soon roll out a programme, which will see further co-operation between Discovery Channel and students and teachers to use education channels to aid in science, mathematics and geography.

Minister Thwaites, in his address, reminded all present that education is the responsibility of everybody.

Minister Thwaites, also urged teachers to create textbooks relevant to the Jamaican context, and reminded the audience that the test of education now involves more socialisation that teaching.

In giving a progress report on his ministry since the reading of the budget, Thwaites said that, using the results of the 2013 Grade Four Achievement Test, there was 85 per cent mastery in literacy, which met the ministry’s target.

He said although there still exists a need to bring the level of male achievement up to that of the females, yet the numbers were encouraging.

In speaking of numeracy mastery, Minister Thwaites posed the question to the teachers of why there is such a phobia of mathematics within our system? This phobia was shown in the numeracy results, which showed a 59 per cent pass rate.

However, in furthering the strides to improve our literacy and numeracy, the ministry has overseen, with aid from USAID, the hiring of nine regional co-ordinators, engaging 90 reading coaches, as well as the merging of inefficient basic schools with primary schools.

“Access is there, equity and quality is the issue,” reiterated Minister Thwaites. The policy report additionally outlined the retraining of 200 underdeployed teachers, as well as the removal of six large primary schools as well as high schools such as Garvey Maceo and Holy Trinity from the shift system, by 2014. Furthermore, as directed by the prime minister, there is a drive to make pit latrines a thing of the past.

Other notable advances include the new Jamaica Teaching Council Bill and the National College of Education leadership. The training of heads of department, vice-principals and principals will now be made mandatory. Those who are weakest, he pledged, will get the most attention.

Finally, the awardees:

The high school winners:

St Mary parish champion St Mary High

Portland parish champion Port Antonio High

St Thomas parish champion Seaforth High

Manchester parish champion Spaldings High

Clarendon parish champion Edwin Allen High

St Catherine Parish Champion Jose Marti Technical High School

Kingston/St Andrew Parish Champion Oberlin High

Most Improved (2012-2013)

St Mary High

Teacher of the Year

Oberlin High

Kingston/St Andrew

Audrey Francis

Runner-Up (Top School Islandwide)

Spaldings High

Manchester

Joan Thompson

Top School Islandwide

Oberlin High

Kingston/St Andrew

Ivy Clarke

Audrey Francis

The primary school winners:

St Mary parish champion Highgate Primary

Portland parish champion Fair Prospect Primary

St Thomas Parish Champion Lyssons Primary

Manchester Parish Champion McIntosh Primary

Clarendon parish champion May Pen Primary

St Catherine parish champion Naggo Head Primary

Kingston/St Andrew Parish Champion Jessie Ripoll

Most Improved (2012-2013)

Lyssons Primary, St Thomas

Teacher of the Year

Jessie Ripoll Primary

Kingston/St Andrew

Raphael Davis

Runner-Up (Top School Islandwide)

Naggo Head Primary

St Catherine

Top School Islandwide

Jessie Ripoll Primary

Kingston/St Andrew