Gov't seeking to transform JA into a multilingual country - Johnson Smith

The Government is seeking to transform Jamaica into a multilingual country through the recently concluded four-day intensive training programme for Spanish language practitioners.

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said the programme is indicative of the Government taking meaningful action to advance the country’s global competitiveness, grow the economy and create meaningful jobs for the people.

“In fact, our National Development Plan, Vision 2030, highlights the Government’s focus on foreign language acquisition and instruction as a core feature of the ‘educated Jamaican’,” she said.

Johnson Smith was speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, held at the Shortwood Teachers’ College in St Andrew on August 21.

It was organised by the Ministry of Education, the Embassy of Spain in Jamaica and Shortwood Teachers’ College in collaboration with Spain’s Cervantes Institute.

A total of 100 current and prospective teachers of Spanish at the primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary levels were trained to be better able to impart the subject to students across the island.

Johnson Smith argued that having a multilingual society, “will open doors for a dynamic and pluralistic global market that would otherwise not be readily available”.

“It also provides better potential for increased relations and strengthens people to people contact with many of our neighbouring countries (as) Jamaica is surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries. This will lead to a borderless hemisphere, which will open up markets and further opportunities,” she indicated.

She expressed satisfaction at the number of teachers benefiting from the programme, which seeks to enhance their skills in teaching methodology, while also advancing their communicative competencies.

Meanwhile, Principal of Shortwood Teachers’ College Dr Christopher Clarke urged the teachers to demonstrate to their students their newly acquired competencies in the teaching, learning, and delivery of the Spanish lesson.

“You must go back and brighten every classroom you enter with the newly gained knowledge and sharpened skills. You need to make a difference because you have made a tremendous sacrifice by giving up four days,” he noted.

In his remarks, Spain’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Josep Maria Bosch Bessa said that the positive success of the course will help to build a stable collaboration between the Education Ministry and the Cervantes Institute. 

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