28 schools to adopt Child Friendly Initiative

Chief Education Officer Steve Hyacinth at Monday's function
Chief Education Officer Steve Hyacinth at Monday’s function

Twenty-eight primary schools in Dominica will adopt the child friendly initiative of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development.

According to Chief Education Officer, Steve Hyacinth, the Child Friendly School (CFS) initiative is a method used by the ministry to ensure that schools are safe, healthier and a positive place for children.

“The Child Friendly School initiative emphasizes that schools not only must help students realises their dreams and aspirations but that each child has a right to a basic education of good quality,” he pointed out at a workshop on Monday morning  to provide  training  for new schools selected to be part of the initiative .

Hyacinth added that schools must seek to enhance students’ health and well-being and guarantee them safe and protective space for learning, free from violence and abuse and raise teachers’ morale.

According to him, the initiative places emphasis on quality education and strives for quality in six key areas that includes quality learners, quality content, quality instruction leaders, quality teaching and learning processes, quality learning environment and quality outcome. He pointed out further that it is consistent with the ministry’s vision “each child succeeds.”

Meanwhile Hyacinth urged teachers to move away from the traditional method of teaching and find new and exciting ways to enhance learning in the classrooms.

“We might find at our schools that we have policies in place but we are not getting the sort of outcome that we require, nothing is wrong with changing those policies, constant review of those policies are necessary if they are not geared at reaching the needs of the students. Find creative ways of doing things explore and find ways to reach those who are unreached and help those who feel that they have no place at your school,” Hyacinth pointed out.

The Laudat, Pichelin, St. Luke’s, Wotten Waven, Bagatelle, Bellevue Chopin, Calibishie, Colihaut, Savanne Paille, St. John’s, Temple Seventh Day Adventist, Thibaud, Wesley, Belles, Concord, Lighthouse, Morne Jaune, San Sauveur, Castle Bruce, Berean Academy, Christian Union Mission, Convent Preparatory, Coulibistrie, Goodwill, Pioneer Preparatory, Roseau Seventh Day Adventist and the St. Martin’s Primary Schools are now Child Friendly Schools.

So far 32 out of 60 primary school in Dominica have been dubbed as ‘child friendly.’

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20 Comments

  1. pride
    February 26, 2013

    I am so glad to see few of these schools like Wesley GOVERNMENT School,Calibishie and Wesley sda primary
    school.

  2. hmmm
    February 26, 2013

    What a coincidence. last week I just did an assignment with policy design and my group focused on public education. Maybe I can volunteer to provide some idea into the policies that we already have and come up with some new ideas where the current ones are at fault. .. Hmm let me finish school to help out! .. I see my village on that list and I always knew something have to be done, the school population at a dying level. God is good, I’ll be able to help one day!

  3. Straight
    February 25, 2013

    The child friendly school makes no room for physical activity and sports. We see obesity and non-communicable diseases destroying our society and this initiative is only going to encourage such. Children needs to run, jump, throw and play, that’s the nature of children. Later we keep asking why so much violence and fighting? These initiatives only develop little robots and not children. Classes become easily distracted since the students have no place to disperse all this energy, before school is read, at lunch is read, after school is read. Don’t get me wrong folks, reading and writing is the most important part of school but as Tasha P said it, “Let our children be children, let them play for the sake of play.” Play is also very important. Btw, I am a teacher in a child friendly school, so I witness it everyday. We are educating children not robots.

  4. Anonymous
    February 25, 2013

    Please take note this is not a Dominica initiative. Do your research it has already been introduced in other countries.

  5. Let's talk
    February 25, 2013

    Thank you Mr. Hyacinth!

    I am quite pleased with the Chief Education Minister’s initiative!

    I hope that the schools all receive a plan with new and improved syllabuses,

    New, improved and exciting equipment and supplies,

    Quality and extensive teacher training

    I support the initiative and I am happy that someone is interested in the education needs of our children

    I am looking forward to seeing the other primary schools added to the CFS

  6. Anonymous
    February 25, 2013

    i am hoping that architects are consulted as they are the ones responsible for the manipulation of the built environment…! too many bureaucrats with no knowledge of how things actually work all they know is administrate, but administrate to what?

  7. Voice of the South
    February 25, 2013

    “each child has a right to a basic education of good quality,”

    So why will it only be rolled out in 28 schools?

  8. LittleBIG
    February 25, 2013

    ONE HAND CANNOT CLAP !

    You cannot have it one way. The schools should also be “Teacher Friendly”. Give them the right tools, safe environment and adequate compensation and watch the difference. A scared, ill-equipped, badly paid teacher is a sad excuse for an educator. Invest in our future…. BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS!

    • hmmm
      February 26, 2013

      a student friendly school is a teacher friendly school.

  9. Matthew M.
    February 25, 2013

    Children are the pillar to form a society better every day. Congratulations worry about them.

  10. truth
    February 25, 2013

    My hope is that our teachers learn how to talk to both parents and children. I had a bad experience when I collected report cards. No parent wants to hear anything negative about his or her child. Teach our teachers how to turn situations around in a more positive way.

    When the teacher I encountered finally learnt that I myself am a teacher she was speechless.

    • T
      February 25, 2013

      Stuppesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss…
      You had the opportunity to speak in a polite and gentle manner to the teacher, teach him/her what you seem to or are professing to have,you cowered away ‘wagging you tail behind you’, and you want the Ministry of Education to do it for you? Stuppesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

      • hmmm
        February 26, 2013

        Empty barrels really make the most noise… for a stupes that long like lizard tongue like that you are really ignorant! … Read what the person say again and make sense out of it and stop making an ignoramus of yourself…

    • Voice of the South
      February 25, 2013

      your experience is not uncommon in D/A unfortunately.

    • him
      February 25, 2013

      @ Truth Nonsense…. If my child does something negative i want to hear it straight from the bat. I don’t want to be a SOO TEE WER! Don’t tell it to me in any kind of “KOOL WAY”. Tell it to me ‘Frang Bang’!

    • leim
      February 25, 2013

      some teachers really don’t know how to comunicate with parents but most times teachers children are the ones that are the most desruptive in a classroom. You may think that your son/daughter is a saint at school but found out otherwise during report card collection. Dont blame the teacher instead talk to your child on conducting thierself properly when you’re not around.

    • What
      February 25, 2013

      No parent wants to hear anything bad about their child. Since you are a teacher, guess you sugar coat things for ur parents. If the child is a rude child, what are o supposed to say. Mam, your child has to learn to speak with a more pleasant demeanor, and must stretch her lips when I speak to her.
      When I tell you, your child hyperactive, and cannot sit still, I mean for you to do something about it. Like take your child to a specialist. Some of all you teachers to bad. Is the sugar coating that have some of our children so.

    • hmmm
      February 26, 2013

      Its funny how majority of you commented saying that the teacher should say this and that, but what about the parents attitude and reaction to what the teacher has to say?

      You find at times there are parents who do not want to hear that their is disruptive and will even speak and respond harshly to the teacher in a tone that means MY CHILD DOESN’T DO THEM TINGS THERE!!! And even if you would put a plastic bag on their head, Sooteeweh how they sooteeweh, they still favoring their children and will not take on the teacher and oppose to what the teacher saying.

      So when it comes to dealing with people in a professional stance, what do you do? How do approach a normal human being with information that you know they may or may not revolt, in order to keep a level of professional relationship between the teacher and parent? YOU APPROACH WITH THE BEST FACTOR THAT WOULD LESS LIKELY CAUSE ANY HARM TO EITHER PARTY. Therefore, in understanding human relationship and communication, one would then speak in a polite way and kindly let the parent know about the students behavior. It doesn’t have be to explicit and it doesn’t have to be rowdy. It can be simple a good professional tactic and manner in which the parent will understand that you as a teacher not there to give KONTE on the student, but you are worried as a teacher for the betterment of your student and his/her improvements and success. And where he or she is failing in either academics, character, social behavior, classroom attendance and so forth, you are willing to work with the parent in order to improve on those things.

      I THINK IN DOMINICA, Someway somehow, there should be a policy where it is mandatory for parents to meet with teachers atleast once or twice with the teacher before the report cards are actually due, somewhere in between the term. At least that would enable a parent to know how far and what their kids are actually doing in class. Yes there are PTA meetings, but you find that parents barely or rarely attend these meetings. And sometimes or rather most times, students were not that productive in the classroom because the parent really don’t know what’s actually going on. SO I think teachers should make some kind of effort to schedule atleast for a period of two weeks, to meet with parents at their class or office within that two week period. Say three parents monday, three on tuesday and so on until you meet with every parent before report book is actually due. That way parents are actually involved. I’m not saying parents aren’t but that is one way to ensure that all parents are literally involved and pays attention because no one wants to see their children doing bad.

      Not all children are academically inclined as well. So this child may be the best student in terms of character and attitude but not too well academically, so figuring out ways to help these kids are another way to assist.

      The ministry just have to really check some policies and find ways to get Teacher and Parent involvement.

  11. Anonymous
    February 25, 2013

    Good move. I notice no one commented on this article cause it is not melay. Good Stuff will never be notice,

  12. Jenny James
    February 25, 2013

    That’s my teacher right there…I’m beaming with pride!…

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