Support for educators will continue — Reid
ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, says the ministry will continue to mobilise support for educators to ensure that the needs of the current and future generations are met.
Addressing a thanksgiving service in Ocho Rios on Sunday, to mark the start of National Education Week 2018, the minister emphasised that teachers’ contributions to nation building through their hard work and resilience cannot be overstated.
He said steps have been taken to ensure that areas identified for improvement are being addressed through professional development programmes, regulatory services, support, and training in governance and management.
This, he noted, is being spearheaded by the Jamaica Teaching Council, which continues to do a tremendous job in ensuring that “teaching is the profession of choice”.
“We acknowledge the work of the Jamaica Teaching Council, which was established as part of the push to professionalise the teaching profession,” he said.
Reid said the ministry remains committed to assisting educators to make sure that their working conditions are improved, while the individual student is being developed.
He also called on the nation’s parents to continue playing their role in “educating their children by reinforcing the lessons learned in school”.
“Education is more than shaping the future of each individual that passes through our hands. We are also shaping the future of our nation. We must prepare our children to build on the fundamental values and skills that will assist them for a lifetime,” he said.
The minister thanked teachers for their contribution to the building of the nation and encouraged them to keep up the good work.
Education Week, which is being celebrated under the theme ‘Promoting the Teaching Profession: A Beacon of Hope and Inspiration to the Nation’, is observed from May 1 to 7 annually and provides an opportunity for all Jamaicans to celebrate the important role that education plays in promoting equity, the achievements of students and the invaluable work of educators in building the Jamaican society.
