UWI School of Education Marks Education Week

The University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Education is observing Education Week from May 4 to 8, with several activities to celebrate educators, promote professional wellness, and address critical issues impacting education in Jamaica and the wider region.

Speaking with JIS News, Director of the School of Education, Professor Carmel Roofe, said that the week is intended to be both celebratory and impactful, highlighting teacher contributions, while engaging educators, students, and communities in meaningful dialogue around education and development.

Activities kicked off on Monday, May 4, with a wellness workshop under the theme ‘Guarding my boundaries: How to prevent burnout’, led by wellness coach, lecturer and school principal, Kerryann Witter.

On Read Across Jamaica Day, Tuesday, May 5, staff and students will visit nearby schools to participate in reading sessions, storytelling, and interactive activities. The institutions are Hope Valley Experimental School, August Town Primary School and Randolph Lopez School of Hope.

“We will be looking at characters through different activities. We will have our staff members and students visiting these schools and participating with children, teachers and principals,” Professor Roofe said.

Also on the day, the School of Education will host a webinar on the theme ‘Natural disasters and their implications on schooling,’ beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Professor Roofe told JIS News that the session will address the important issue of climate change and the impact on education.

“We continue to hear about climate change and the increase in the effects of natural disasters for small island developing states like Jamaica, and so we must lead some of those conversations and add our voices to those conversations,” she noted.

“These matters affect the front-line work and duties that we offer. Oftentimes, when we speak about climate change, we do not speak about the teachers and principals who are front-line workers, and they have to respond to offer support to the communities in which they are located or from which the students come,” she added.

Wednesday, May 6, is Teacher’s Day, and the School of Education will host an awards ceremony for educators under the theme ‘Honouring Excellence: Celebrating Service, Inspiring Futures’.

“We will recognise and celebrate our academics who have been pouring into our students, other colleagues, and pouring into the system,” Professor Roofe said.

A webinar on ‘Geopolitics and Implications for Schooling’ takes place on Thursday, May 7, and the week culminates on Friday, May 8, with a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) Masterclass under the theme ‘Future-Ready Classrooms: Integrating STEAM, AI Digital Tools’.

Professor Roofe said that the week will also highlight the role of the School of Education in preparing practitioners to teach and innovate in the Caribbean.

“We see our work as being integral to what happens every day in schools. We think that the work that we do to provide educational and professional services to education systems and aligned areas is very important and integral not only to the development of Jamaica but the entire region. So, for us, Education Week is a must,” she said.

A comprehensive list of activities for Education Week is available on the School of Education’s website at https://www.mona.uwi.edu/soe/humed/.