Tagged: Jamaica

Photograph of Gail Hoad, UNICEF Jamaica Comunication for Development Consultant together with her mother Blossom holding her COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

Vaccines work: Making sure to protect my mom against COVID-19

Health promotion

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The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy for many Jamaican families, but we count our blessings. My mum got her second shot of the COVID vaccine on June 13. As a senior citizen she is among the most vulnerable, and COVID-19 literally put much of her life on hold. Seniors were told to stay home so I started doing her grocery shopping.… Read more →←
Minister of Education Youth and Information, Hon Fayval Williams, United Nations Children’s Fund Jamaica Country Representative, Mariko Kagoshima, other officials and children greet each other during an online session held Thursday, December 3 in observance of the International Day for People with Disabilities. The meeting was held to check-in on some of the 534 special needs students who received tablets donated by UNICEF.

Checking-in with children with disabilities

Lifelong learning

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“Are you having a good time using your tablets?” “YES!!!” shouts a chorus of students. It’s the International day for persons with disabilities and Jamaica’s Portfolio Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon Fayval Williams, is hosting a virtual check-in to learn from students with special needs, some… Read more →←
Joel Young a student of Little Bay Primary and Infant school with his father Wayne Young a fisherman. going through the weeks lessons. The school is located in Little Bay, a mainly fishing community located in the parish of Westmoreland, the western end of the island of Jamaica on Monday, September 7, 2020. Little bay primary and infant schools is one of the schools which participated in an online course supported by UNICEF – designed to help schools adjust to the new reality as finding its own innovative way to keep children learning since schools were closed in March children have faced obstacles to learning – whether it be access to the internet, or indeed whether their teachers have the necessary skills to provide distance learning. The Virtual Instructional Leadership (VIL) course supported by UNICEF and offered by the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) aims to give school leaders the necessary skills to keep children learning despite the pandemic.

Teachers learning new ways for no child to be left behind

Lifelong learning

By Archibald Gordon

Read the report Education on hold: A generation of children in Jamaica, the Caribbean and Latin America are missing out on their schooling “I wanted to get my education”, says 11-year-old Joel Young as he scribbles in his notebook. At his parents’ wooden house in Little Bay, a small rural fishing community on the west coast of… Read more →←
Theresa Wallace SWPBIS ministry of education youth and information guidance counselling unit

Tele-mental health services offer lifeline for struggling students

Lifelong learning

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Six months ago, as classrooms emptied and the island braced for COVID-19, students began to confront a new normal. For many, this would test their mettle unlike ever before. For others already grappling with mental health issues, the adjustments would be even more difficult. “A lot of the children are fearful. They are really… Read more →←
Kenard Swaby National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC)

My formula to coping in COVID-19 as a student

Lifelong learning

By Kenard Swaby

From being the kind of student who is always on point at school, in COVID-19 I was struggling even to remember words to form paragraphs. I found myself not knowing how to do this, not knowing how to do that. Then in online class I would be getting confused feeling like they’re calling my name a little bit too much… I was just… Read more →←
Keneisha Henry NSSC

Now more than ever, students are desperate to be heard

Lifelong learning

By Keneisha Henry

As what I would call the ‘guinea pigs’ of an education system transformed by COVID-19, it stands to reason that the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) can contribute a lot to the new Education Transformation Commission! As the only generation to have been on the receiving end of distance learning, I believe that this… Read more →←
Jada Browne NSSC

This pandemic made me a mother to my little sisters

Lifelong learning

By Jada Browne

What has made me feel better during this terrible time is learning to adjust to situations. I’m a very sensitive and emotional person and when I’m dealing with stress I usually get a loss of appetite, and I sleep more often. And this has been THE most stressful time. And right now I’m not feeling too well because I have… Read more →←
As school restarts, Ree-Anna Robinson, a final year student at Kingston’s Immaculate Conception High School reflects on a year disrupted by COVID-19, but also her efforts advocating for the rights of other students as a National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) leader, which included debating education officials in the national media. UNICEF spoke with her and other NSSC members about their experiences during the pandemic.

Being strong for others in this pandemic – even as I felt weak

Lifelong learning

By Ree-Anna Robinson

School closing made me realise that I am not as strong as I thought I was. I actually thought that it would have been easier because being at home I would have had fewer distractions. Instead, it’s sometimes like I’m just locked away in my thoughts in this dark space. I really found out that I struggled with anxiety during this… Read more →←
Clapham Primary & Infant School EduSport coach Nesha Robinson about to play a socially distant game of 1, 2, 3 Red Light with children from her community.

Games that help children learn, even in COVID-19

Lifelong learning

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Maurice Mahoney, aged 7, from Kilmarnock Primary & Infant School in St. Bess explains it best, “I love playing games so that I can learn!” Started by the Breds Foundation in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, with support from UNICEF, EduSport is a games-based approach to learning being rolled out in Jamaican schools. EduSport is… Read more →←

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