Reta James, a grade two coordinator at the St. Richard's Primary School in St. Andrew, carries out final clean-up preparations yesterday for her students who returned for the new school year today. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry-Wilson, last night apologised for Government's tardiness in supplying textbooks to the island's primary and all-age schools.

In a televised address to the nation ahead of today's start of the new school year, Mrs. Henry-Wilson said the delay in getting the books into schools was caused by the printer's failure to get the shipment of primary textbooks from overseas in time for early distribution.

According to the Education Minister, the books, which are normally in schools by the first week of September, will be at least one week late this year.

Minimum delay

"These books are now on the wharf and will be cleared and delivered to the schools with minimum delay," Mrs. Henry-Wilson said. "We apologise for this, but hasten to add that this will not affect students' learning, as the primary schools would have had some texts, which were delivered late last year, and placed in storage this year."

She said the Government spent just under $900 million on primary and secondary schools textbooks.

Meanwhile the Education Minister urged students and teachers to make this a productive school year.

"There is a lot to learn and much to achieve before next summer vacation, and I am sure students and teachers are eager to get started," she said.

She also reminded that Govern-ment will be introducing a Student Empowerment Programme aimed at students whose low academic performance at the grade nine level prevent them from being placed in high schools.

Under this programme, the Education Minister said, students who fail to attain the required score will be brought to a functional level before being reintegrated into the secondary school system.

Also in her address last night, Mrs. Henry-Wilson noted that plans are under way for the evaluation of principals and the extension of the Safe Schools Programme.

The latter, she suggested, should be of interest to parents who are worried about their children's safety. The new thrust of the Safe Schools Programme, which is geared toward eliminating violence in schools, will be a Safe Bus Rides programme.

This Safe Bus Rides programme will see civic group, Mothers in Crisis, patrolling bus stops along specific bus routes with a view to minimising sexual crimes against children.