Whiteman By Trudy Simpson,
Staff Reporter
A CD-ROM which incorporates the grades seven to nine social studies syllabus should be developed by March 31, 2002 if the Education and Culture Ministry has its way.
Speaking last Monday at the World Book and Copyright Day Schools' Quiz Competition at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library, Education Minister Burchell Whiteman said that he was hoping for this development because the CD-ROM "provides another medium for our children to learn."
Social studies is being used for a number of reasons, among them, its incorporation of the island's history, culture and customs, which better lends itself to that kind of presentation, Mr. Whiteman told The Gleaner yesterday.
The Minister could not say whether other subjects will be placed on CD-ROM or how much the project would cost but he assured The Gleaner that all high schools have computer labs in which the product could be used.
Other Ministry officials refused to speak on the subject until they were given permission to do so by Information Officer, Edwin Thomas, who was not at work.
In addition, the Minister said that another 140 primary schools will benefit this year under the Ministry of Education and Culture's Special Book Scheme as part of the Ministry's effort aimed at stimulating children so they spend more time reading and learning.
The Ministry also provided books to 140 primary schools last year under the programme. The books had "...begun to make a significant difference in terms of the access that our children have to reading material," Senator Whiteman said in a JIS release.
Regarding the quiz, ten students from six schools across the island qualified for the finals of the competition. Patrice Crossfield of Wolmer's Girls' School in Kingston won, receiving a $5,000 book token, a certificate of appreciation and a trophy. Second place went to Kimberlie Allman, also of Wolmer's and Camille Beecher of St. Hilda's Diocesan High in St. Ann was third.
The competition was sponsored by the Jamaica National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); the Book Industry Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Library Service, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology, the National Book Development Council of Jamaica and the Commonwealth Library Association.
The objective of the annual event is to highlight the role of books and copyright as instruments for the transmission of ideas and to encourage reading. Mr. Whiteman encouraged the students to read. "Books remain our strongest learning medium and we want to encourage you not to hold back in your pursuit of books and reading," he stated.
He urged the students to write, noting that not enough young persons were putting down their thoughts. "It helps to exercise your creative imagination and you will have something that you can regard as a product of your own," he told the students.
He thanked the UNESCO for originating the day and the quiz competition, noting that they provided an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge and learn more about the legal system that protected intellectual property. Representatives from the United Kingdom Publishers' Association presented a number of books to local public libraries at the function.
