5 NEW YORK. J AMAICA’S AMBASSADOR to the United States Audrey Marks has lauded the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force for staging its seventh education summit aimed at sharpening the skills of Jamaican educators in responding to the SARSCoV-2 pandemic. In declaring the summit open at the Marymount College in New York on Monday, Marks said: “The Government of Jamaica continues to invest heavily in its education sector. We are aware that the strides made in this crucial sector will determine whether our economy continues at its current pace or leaps forward.” She commended members of the diaspora for the critical role they have played in the advancement of the Jamaican educational system over the years, noting that it was“no secret that Jamaica and the rest of the world continues to grapple with the disruptions to education caused by COVID-19. The pandemic widened pre-existing opportunity and achievement gaps, affecting disadvantaged students the hardest”. “As stakeholders in the education process, it is vital that we make a concerted effort to lift the next generation by ‘teaching, learning, leading, and healing’. In Jamaica’s case, instilling critical-thinking skills and adapting to a dynamic digital world will help our island accomplish Vision 2030, achieve Sustainable Development Goals, grow the middle class, and unleash the latent talent and potential of our people,” Jamaica’s top US diplomat declared. LEARNING LOSS “Over the last two years, we have heard a lot about ‘learning loss’ and ‘learning recovery’, which, undoubtedly, are complicated matters for teachers across the globe. Thankfully, initiatives like this summit offer a platform for the development and sharing of strategies to counteract the learning disruptions. I am confident that our Jamaican teachers participating in this summit will leave equipped with and ready to share transformational tools tomeet the challenges of today,” she noted. Marks pointed to the work of the Jamaican embassy in Washington, along with that of the Jamaican diaspora, in “addressing the challenges to education caused by the pandemic, through the donation of tablets and other educational tools to students in need”. “As an added measure, the embassy, in partnership with the National Education Trust, is using the AdoptA-School programme to address problems that impact the quality of education in Jamaica. As 2022 marks the year of Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee, the Adopt-A-School programme presents us all with a unique opportunity to leave our fingerprints on a legacy project. More importantly, it gives our young people the chance to create and pursue their own legacy,” she said. The Jamaican ambassador paid tribute to the work of the island’s teachers, noting that “every effort should be made to invest in them, and treat them like the professionals they are, ” and took the opportunity to acknowledge the Jamaica Teacher’s Association for their continued good work and congratulate it on its upcoming 58th anniversary. The summit brings together some 60 Jamaican educators from varied backgrounds to participate in a weeklong series of workshops, seminars, panel discussions, and school tours. The activities are aimed at leveraging vast diaspora expertise for capacity development within the educational landscape for a post-pandemic Jamaica. This year’s summit is being hosted by the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc. (UJAA) and the Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) on the college’s campus in New York, NY. The summit has rotated over the years to deliver different pedagogical experiences for teachers and educators before going virtual during the pandemic for the past two years. Ambassador Marks lauds diaspora’s contribution to education Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks declared open the Jamaica Diaspora Task Force Seventh Educational Summit at the Marymount College in Manhattan, New York on Monday March 21. Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks is flanked by the Secretary General of the Jamaica Teachers Association Dr. Mark Nicely; President of the Union of JamaicanAlumni Associations (USA) Inc. Lesleyann Samuels; President of the Jamaica Teachers Association Mr. Winston Smith; Jamaica’s Consul General to New York Alsion Wilson and Mr Leo Gilling, Chairman Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network ( JDTAN)at Monday’s opening of the Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force seventh education summitat the Marymount College in Manhattan, New York. DERRICK SCOTT PHOTO HE WEEKLY GLEANER | APRIL 4 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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