'Every school should have a PTA' - Reid

Minister of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid has said the ministry will be working with the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) to ensure that there is a functional PTA in every school.

He informed that the establishment of PTAs is a recommendation of the National Task Force on Education and forms part of the Government's educational policy.

Addressing the fifth biennial general meeting of the NPTAJ, held at the St Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz last week Saturday, Reid noted that the bodies play a major role in the effective management of educational institutions.

He said PTAs should be an important voice on behalf of the ministry in all institutions.

Reid said the biennial general meeting of the NPTAJ served to underscore the importance of partnership between parents and teachers in the education process.

"The relationship between home and school is important because each reinforces the other. Parents need to know that their job does not end with just sending the child to school, but they need to be involved in every aspect of the child's growth," he pointed out.

Reid added that through the National Parenting Support Commission, a number of programmes would be rolled out to assist parents in rearing their children.

He said these programmes include educational and support services and are designed to promote the well-being and safety of

children, using the family as the base.