Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
FIFTEEN JAMAICANS leave the island today to work for one year as assistant English teachers in Japanese schools.
Eighty-six Jamaicans have participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme since it came to the island in 2000.
The latest 15, who are all university graduates, will have the option of extending their stay for up to three years. Besides teaching they will be involved in cultural exchange activities, forming foreign language clubs and organising language speech contests.
"As of February there were 48 Jamaican JETs still in Japan, and each year about seven or eight decide to come back," Mizuho Nakanishi, research officer at the Japanese Embassy, told The Gleaner yesterday.
"The Jamaican teachers have a good reputation for their language teaching and they are more anticipated than those from other countries. This is because there is a big interest in Jamaican culture in Japan but not much information for Japanese, and so meeting the Jamaican JETs will be their first chance to learn," added Ms. Nakanishi.
Six thousand participants from 41 countries are involved in this year's programme. Launched in 1987 JET is aimed at promoting cultural exchange and foreign language education in elementary, junior and senior high schools in Japan.
