Centres of Excellence asks for help

DR RENéE Rattray, project manager of the Mutual Building Societies Foundation (MBSF), has appealed to members of the Jamaican diaspora to support its Centres of Excellence educational programme.

Founded by Jamaica National Building Society and The Victoria Mutual Building Society, the MBSF started the Centres of Excellence programme in 2008. Its aim is to contribute to the development of quality education in rural communities and to support social transformation.

"Jamaica needs you and our education and our children need you," Rattray told delegates attending the biennial Jamaica Diaspora Convention 2011 last Thursday at Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann. "We are looking forward to having many other partners."

The six rural-based high schools participating in the programme are McGrath in St Catherine; Seaforth in St Thomas; Green Pond in St James; Godfrey Stewart in Westmoreland; and Mile Gully and Porus in Manchester.

A model for effective public and private-sector partnership, the project focuses on enhancing the performance of the three principal stakeholders in the education system - administrators, teachers and students - while also engaging the local community.

Empowering stakeholders

"Our focus has been empow-ering stakeholders and changing their mindsets," Rattray explained. An important element in this is tracking student performance, to determine where intervention is most needed.

"We have been seeing increased improvements primarily in student attitude towards learning," Rattray stated, "and, attendance has also improved."

Under the programme, she said, the schools have been assisted academically in the subject areas of mathematics, English language and the sciences. Teachers have received assistance to improve the curriculum delivery to students; and equipment was donated to enhance science laboratories.

She pointed to the changed image of Godfrey Stewart High School, with improved levels of student attendance and teacher accountability. Rattray said "such a huge battle has been won".

A new project, 'I am the change', was recently implemented in which 20 students from each school were taught financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.

"They have now gone back to their schools and are setting up businesses. McGrath High School in Linstead is now producing a local newspaper. Therefore, they have been empowered to be job creators, rather than job seekers." said Dr Rattray.