Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byEthelbert Quinn Modified over 8 years ago
1
7 th Meeting and 2 nd Interamerican CSR & Early Childhood Meeting October 11- 12 2012 Marie Archer Hitchins Barita Education Foundation (BEF) Kingston, Jamaica 1
2
Demographic Overview Jamaica is a small island in the Caribbean Population approximately 3M Official Language – English Spoken Language - Jamaican Creole 2
3
Economic Overview Moved from what was mainly agrarian economy to a service oriented economy GDP Per Capita – US$5,562 - 2011 (WB) Unemployment – 14.3% - 2012 (STATIN) Debt to GDP Ratio – 128.3% - 2010 (PIOJ) Global Competitive Index 2011-2012 ranked Jamaica at 107 out of 142 countries 3
4
Global Competitiveness Why are we here & How do we increase our competitiveness? Have we invested enough in human & social capital? Is our economic underperformance tied educational underperformance? What can we do about it? 4
5
Educational Challenges Children underperforming at primary and secondary levels. Thirty Percent of primary school graduates can illiterate Fifty Five Percent innumerate National Council on Education (NCE)2009 5
6
Implications for Development A service economy requires a labour force that is: Literate Numerate Able to think critically Able to communicate effectively in English 6
7
Hence the Need for a highly developed ECE programme in Jamaica 7
8
Overview Early Childhood Sector 2,000 pre-schools & day-care centers Ninety Percent Enrollment in pre-schools Churches heavily invested in pre-schools & primary schools This indicates that parents have bought into the importance of education at the early childhood level. 8
9
Community Schools 99% of the pre-schools and day-care centers are community based and privately operated Schools must have a Board of Management The Operators are Members of the community Operators & teachers inadequately trained 9
10
The Model Community-based Privately owned & operated Low-cost Delivered by untrained personnel High coverage nationally 99% enrollment Community & Parent support Policy Support 10
11
Is The Model Working & what are the Policy Implications? 11
12
Government’s Commitment 2004 established Early Childhood Commission (ECC). An inter-sectoral body comprising health, education and social welfare services Responsible for: 1.Developing Policy & Regulations 2.Regulating Programmes & Services 3.Establishing Standards 4.School Inspections 12
13
The Early Childhood Commission Establishment of a comprehensive legal, regulatory and policy framework : Early Childhood Act and Regulations, 2005 National Plan of Action for ECD National Strategic Plan for ECD National Parenting Policy National Parenting Support Commission 13
14
ECE as a Social Contract The Early Childhood Programme in Jamaica is a tripartite arrangement between the: Community Government Private sector. 14
15
Barita Education Foundation Managed by a private sector company Engaged in ECE Critical Player A model for CSR in Early Childhood Education 15
16
BEF Board & Students with Former Minister of Education/Prime Minister 16
17
Barita Education Foundation: Vision Students acquire strong foundational skills in Literacy and Numeracy Students transition successfully to Primary School Teachers equipped with skills in Numeracy and Literacy instruction for effective teaching Parents equipped to support their children Optimum educational outcomes for Partner Schools 17
18
The Friends & Barita Investments Five-year community based literacy project managed by three businesswomen Barita Investments Ltd., the oldest stock brokerage firm in Jamaica, principal sponsor Programme assumed by Barita Investments Ltd. Foundation established in 2004 Focus on training, skills transfer & instruction 18
19
Barita Education Foundation: Board of Directors 19
20
The Programme The BEF Programme is a Two-year intervention which focuses on: Literacy Numeracy Parenting support Using an integrated Agenda that incorporates Teachers & Parents 20
21
Barita Education Foundation Enhancement Programme 21
22
Literacy Enhance the knowledge and instructional skills of Pre- School teachers in: Letter knowledge Word Recognition Phonics Comprehension Penmanship and Writing 22
23
Building Fluent Readers 23
24
Numeracy The B.E.F. Teachers lead the guided learning sessions with demonstrations that connect knowledge and application. Classification Seriation Number sense Measurement 24
25
Life-long Problem Solving Skills 25
26
Parenting Support Social workers arrange discussions and activities to: Promote parenting awareness Improve parenting skills Encourage participation in school’s activities 26
27
The BEF Team 27
28
School Selection Need-based Process of Evaluation Weakest schools selected Most vulnerable schools selected 28
29
Evidence-based Implementation Every child is assessed. A programme of instruction is developed in order to: Improve the level of learning for each child. Train the classroom teacher in the most current approaches & strategies in planning, instruction & class management with special emphasis on reading and arithmetic. Each school is allocated one trained teacher who acts as a Mentor Teacher. The Mentor Teachers are supervised by the Programme Coordinator. 29
30
Outcomes Students engaged in the learning process Students learning at the pace and at the level required for their age group Teachers empowered with new knowledge & technologies Parents encouraged by the process Community benefits 30
31
Results 31
32
Best Practices Assessment Training Active Engagement and Supervision by the Board of BEF Signed contracts of agreement between the school and BEF. Consultation with Parents Parents advised of the programme’s implementations 32
33
Challenges Inability of the host teacher to carry on the programme and transfer knowledge after BEF exit. Modified the programme to address these needs. Included a monitoring mechanism. 33
34
Corporate Social Responsibility 1.National Engagement 2.Private Sector awareness 3.Private Sector commitment Financial Support Technical Expertise Management Support 34
35
Corporate Social Responsibility In Jamaica we have now come to the point in our development where companies are beginning to understand that CSR is not charity, but rather an investment in their communities which over the long term will redound to them. 35
36
CSR in Early Childhood Development the Cornerstone of economic development. Let’s Make A Difference !!!!!!!!! 36
Similar presentations
© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc.
All rights reserved.