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New
horizons of hope - Prime Minister, The Most Honorable
P. J. Patterson
TODAY`S
MEMBERS of the Jamaica Teachers Association have the
awesome responsibility of living up to the rich legacy
of service, patriotism and leadership bequeathed to
you by the thousands of dedicated teachers of this nation
who came before you.
Your
antecedents were among the founding members of our nation
who, through their commitment and patriotic favour,
have made a sterling contribution throughout our history.
It is through their vision of a society of equality
of opportunity, of self-confidence and insistence that
the book learning as well as the socialisation of our
young be relevant to our heritage from which the Jamaica
of today has emerged.
As
you celebrate this 40th anniversary yours is a formidable
challenge - to live up to the example of your forbears
in this noble profession, to forge for this new generation
the type of education that can help those whom you influence,
in and outside of the classroom, to erase the narrow
confines of their environment as you reveal to them
new horizons of hope and opportunity in this the land
of their birth. It is by your precept and example that
with the equal contribution of parents and communities,
our young people will develop the self-esteem, self-respect
and respect for others, the positive values and attitudes
which are as important as the love of knowledge and
the academic achievement that their education ideally
will provide.
My
own passionate commitment to the education of our young
is a matter of record. For the entire period of my Administration,
we have allocated the largest percentage of the national
budget to education. Not only have I always insisted
on greater accessibility and better quality education.
This Administration has funded more new structures than
in any comparable period.
We have overhauled and improved curricula at different
levels. We have made good progress in the use of information
and communication technology in the system. We have
significantly improved salaries and working conditions
of teachers.
I
warmly embraced the opportunity to move forward with
even greater determination and urgency when the House
of Representatives recently passed in a unanimous vote
the Resolution on the priority to be given to education.
It was a moment when the vision of a prosperous Jamaica,
in which all our people are empowered to recognise their
true potential, superseded political considerations.
Building on that momentum, I have established a Task
Force which is working with the Ministry of Education
to critically examine education as it stands today in
Jamaica and to make the necessary changes in order to
transform our education system to meet the global realities
of this twenty-first century.
You,
the members of the JTA are central to this process.
As you mark this important anniversary, your challenge
is to become an integral contributor to this exercise
and in so doing be true to the fine tradition of the
teaching profession in this country.
The
entire nation is relying on you to take your rightful
place in this exciting new era in your profession and
in the continuing process of nation building in which
you play a critical role.
I
am confident that you are equal to the task.
The
most Hon. P.J. Patterson, ON, PC, QC, MP
Prime
Minister
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