Pinnock calls on western teachers to remain resilient

WESTERN BUREAU:

Amid concerns about the state of readiness of schools in western Jamaica ahead of the new school year, Dr Michelle Pinnock, director of the Ministry of Education’s Region Four, is calling on teachers to be patient and resilient as the conditions might not be ideal.

During the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October, several schools across western Jamaica were extensively damaged, and many remain in a significant state of disrepair. However, Pinnock is urging educators to remain patient as the affected institutions to bounce back.

“Things are not going to be perfect on Monday morning, but I will tell you that very soon, we will be all in a better place than before,” said Pinnock, in referencing the “really trying conditions” some teachers have been enduring since the hurricane.

In speaking about the scope of work already done and work still being done, Pinnock said when the repairs are completed, some of the schools will have better roofs and more internal space for classes.

Pinnock was addressing a teacher training and orientation session for teachers and principals from primary schools in the ministry’s Quality Education Circle 35 at the Bethel Primary School in Hopewell, Hanover.

She applauded the 150 teachers and principals from the 15 primary schools who were in attendance, alongside the teachers who manned the 127 primary schools, 11 infant schools, 25 high schools, and two special education schools across Region Four, for their post-hurricane resilience.

“We note that 99 per cent of our schools were damaged [in Region Four] during the hurricane, and we sorted through the gaps,” said Pinnock, who added that the results from the recent Primary Exit Profile examinations provided enough evidence of the work the teachers had to put in.

“We have to start preaching our own excellence,” she said, adding that in mathematics, literacy and numeracy, the regional passes surpassed the national target.

Looking ahead, Pinnock urged the teachers in attendance to make boys’ education their focus for the 2026-27 school year, as the boys are lagging in their progress.

In answer to the many questions about the state of readiness of schools, Pinnock urged the teachers to “do up your posters and send them out to the parents, to let them know that school is on and we are ready”.

Pinnock also appealed to the teachers to show as much mercy as is necessary to the young students, stating that “yes, they are rude, but if they know that you love them, and you care for them, they can move to the next level”.

“Let us continue to focus and uplift people’s children through education. Education is the only answer to betterment,” she noted, while encouraging the teachers to assist their students in working on their career development from as early as the infant departments.

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