TEACHER & PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2007 LAUNCHED ON EVE OF WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

LASCO & Education Ministry Commits To Rewarding Excellence In Schools

Kingston, Jamaica - October 4, 2007: Another opportunity for recognising and rewarding excellence in the teaching profession has been made available to the public, with this afternoon’s official launch of the LASCO/ Ministry of Education Teacher and Principal of the Year Awards 2007. The programme was set in motion on the eve of World Teachers’ Day, during a Press Conference at the Ministry of Education, Heroes Circle, Kingston. 

Pointing out that the Teacher of the Year Awards was initiated by LASCO in 1998 through its partnership with the teaching fraternity, Lascelles Chin, Chairman and CEO of the LASCO Group of Companies expressed his company’s ongoing commitment to the development of Jamaica, “a commitment that includes recognising and rewarding excellence in our people.”

He underscored the need for the nation to identify and pay tribute to persons who exemplify a high standard of excellence and creativity in the classroom, despite having to contend with challenges such as inadequate equipment, violence in schools, overcrowding in the classrooms, poor sanitation and volatile communities in which the schools are located. 

“We want to tell our teachers over and over again that we love them and appreciate their sacrifices. How better to show these sentiments than by holding them up to the nation,” Mr. Lascelles Chin pointed out. “I am of the view that encouragement not only sweetens labour, but contributes to an improved learning environment.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Education Andrew Holness endorsed the Teacher and Principal of the Year Programme and lauded the partnership between LASCO and the Ministry in paying tribute to outstanding members of the teaching profession. “The Ministry of Education is happy to partner with LASCO in recognising the contribution of our teachers and principals to our nation's future and moulding the lives of students. Incidentally, tomorrow will be celebrated internationally as World Teachers' Day and the Ministry joins with over 100 countries worldwide in celebrating the achievement of our teachers,” Mr. Holness told participants in today’s Press Conference. 

Mr. Holness explained that the Education Ministry continues to support the professional development of teachers through several programmes and initiatives. These include the Teachers Registration Programme, Teachers Revolving Loan Fund, Teachers 50% Tuition Refund, Teacher Motor Vehicle Loan Programme, Scholarships and Bursaries and ongoing training. “These programmes ensure that our teachers' qualifications meet international standards, and that they can achieve their goals of personal development,” added Minister Holness.

The Minister has expressed concern that low performing schools, which are the educational institutions with the biggest achievement gap, tend to attract insufficient numbers of quality teachers. He assured that the Education Ministry will be implementing a range of measures to address this problem, including: putting incentives in place to get highly qualified teachers in those schools as well as recruiting and retraining qualified, talented teachers with certain skills that are not readily available in the island. 

Teachers vying for the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year Awards will be judged on their professional development, commitment to education, creative leadership and community involvement. Nomination and Evaluation Forms for the programme are available at all Ministry of Education Regional Offices and the Professional Development Unit of the Ministry.

Mr. Lascelles Chin announced that the Teacher and Principal of the Year will each receive $100,000, a trophy, LASCO gift baskets and spa packages as well as an expense paid trip to the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in Louisiana, New Orleans, United States. This is the first time that the Principal of the year will benefit from an overseas trip from LASCO. 

In addition to the top awards for ‘Principal of the Year’ and ‘Teacher of the Year’, sectional prizes will be awarded to the Most Outstanding Principal and the Most Outstanding Teacher in each Region of the Education Ministry. Each Regional Winner in the Principal and Teacher of the Year categories will receive $20,000, plaques, spa packages and LASCO gift baskets. Teachers have up until the last week in October to submit the completed forms with the accompanying documentation of best practices.