Education summit to feature inaugural charity gala

The Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network (JDTAN) is to host its 8th annual Advancements in Education Summit 2023. Under the theme, ‘Advancing our passion for teaching and learning: Rediscovering our Why’, the education summit runs from June 13 to 16, 2023 and will culminate this year, for the first time, with JDTAN’s Inaugural Education Charity Gala on Diaspora Day, June 16, a release from organisers said. Major partners and sponsors participating in Summit23 are the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), Jamaica National Group, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations, and JDTAN. The summit is the network’s flagship event and will host 100 educators arriving from Jamaica to attend various workshops, panel discussions, and presentations geared at building capacity for Jamaica. Teachers from other Caribbean islands will join the summit, a new feature of the week’s activities, courtesy of the JTA.

Audrey Marks, ambassador of Jamaica to Washington, permanent representative to the Organization of American States, and patron of this year’s event, commended the summit’s convenors for their commitment, noting, “the diaspora is a reservoir of resources that has continued to enhance the development of Jamaica, in particular, our educational institutions, programmes, and policies. The focus is frequently on our young people, but the Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Education Summit takes an unconventional approach by spotlighting our unsung heroes, our educators. With the diaspora’s support, our teachers receive our admiration and transformational tools to prepare our young people to thrive and build a prosperous Jamaica.”

ENHANCE PEDAGOGY

Leo Gilling, chairman of the JDTAN, explained that the involvement of partners, sponsors, and hosts in making the summit possible “is a testament to the importance of education in the future of Jamaica. The Advancement in Education Summit provides the tools and interventions to fill gaps and advance teaching and learning,” he said.

Earl Jarrett, chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group, commended the organisers, noting, “One of the strongest measures of development for a nation is its education system and citizens’ access to education. The Jamaica National Group is pleased to support this 8th JDTAN Advancement in Education Summit because we recognise the crucial role that like-minded organisations, such as JDTAN, play as a partner in improving Jamaica’s educational system.”

Summit chairperson, Dr Sherika Dacres, remarked, “In this 8th education summit, the mission of JDTAN in supporting educators has not changed but instead has evolved to meet the changing needs of educators. Using a collaborative approach to engage and mobilise the Jamaican diaspora, we aim to build capacity by identifying needs and delivering best practices to enhance pedagogy among Jamaican educators and other individuals within the education sphere.”