PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Winston Smith has encouraged educators to proactively develop their craft and “celebrate you, note your worth, work smartly and creatively to support the education system as educators par excellence”, as they celebrate Education Week this week.

Smith, in his message yesterday at the Education Week church service at Brown’s Town Tabernacle in St Ann, said Education Week provides all of us with the opportunity to celebrate the numerous achievements in our education system, while simultaneously honouring our teachers’ Herculean effort in realising the Ministry of Education’s mantra that ‘every child can learn, every child must learn’.

“As I travel across the length and breadth of Jamaica, I continue to be amazed by the intricacies and magnitude of work of our teachers especially during these trying times, occasioned by the pandemic,” he said.

“Our teachers continue to plan, motivate and inspire learners to conquer their fears and to make an effort to learn.”

He said the theme, ‘Bridging the digital and social divide: Transforming education for economic growth and sustainable development’, encourages an examination of issues of connectivity, human resource, good governance including policy adjustment and leadership, as these are the true bedrock of a digital revolution for sustainable growth.

“Digital technology has bridged global economic competition but the inequities in the education system remains,” he added. “However, we acknowledge that the advancement in science and technology has transitioned into some benefits from the digital revolution regardless of all the challenges we faced.

“There has been an automatic response in the transformation of education and now we commonly use terms like ‘hybrid’, ‘synchronous’ and ‘asynchronous’ as we function in a new space. The leveraging of technology in our pedagogical activities have provided much data of what works and what needs more to work. COVID-19 has unveiled the many deficiencies in our education system while simultaneously accelerating the transformation of individuals, companies, communities and governments as we pivot and adjust to fit in the virtual space.”

He said notwithstanding the gigantic steps made in such a short time, “we as educators are still seeking to discover the advantages and disadvantages of a digital world”.

“Nevertheless, the quality education provided by our hardworking, flexible, yet tenacious teachers continues to serve as the hub to facilitate this new, yet highly demanded advancement,” he said.

The week of celebration began with the church service, and tomorrow the country will execute a JTA creation, ‘Read Across Jamaica Day’. Wednesday is being celebrated as Teachers’ Day and Thursday is JTA’s Helen Still Professional Development Day.