Ministry taps students to make furniture; no new China imports
Published:Saturday | August 27, 2022 | 12:10 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Industrial arts students and teachers from some eight high schools across the island have been tasked by the education ministry to manufacture furniture to meet demand ahead of the reopening of schools.
Leighton Johnson – principal of the Muschett High School in Trelawny, which is participating in the programme – said that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between participating schools and the ministry.
Johnson, the president-elect of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), said the idea was born out of a pilot initiative that saw industrial arts students at his school engaged in the repairing of furniture to meet the quality education circle (QEC) standard.
“Instead of destroying those pieces of furniture, we were approached by the Ministry of Education to use our industrial arts department to repair these pieces of furniture and I believe that was the start of great things because it provided industry experience for our students,” said Johnson.
He further noted that the move from repairing to manufacturing new furniture was pioneered in 2017 by Belmont Academy in Westmoreland and Brown’s Town High School in St Ann.
“It is from that template that the ministry has sought to broaden the scope of allowing furniture that is needed in schools to be manufactured here in Jamaica,” explained Johnson. “What will happen under the memorandum of understanding is that whichever school is in need of furniture, we will fabricate that furniture and supply the school directly. We will then submit the bill to the ministry, which will compensate the manufacturing school.”
Johnson revealed that the ministry provided an initial payment to cover raw materials and the cost of the machinery.
Education Minister Fayval Williams said the Government has decided not to go the route of procuring furniture outside of the country this year, given the ability of local schools and private players to manufacture them to meet the demand.
“All the furniture that we are procuring is locally produced by our schools or other providers,” Williams said while responding to concerns from teachers on the shortage of furniture at the JTA’s annual conference earlier this week.
JTA President La Sonja Harrison had expressed concern about importing furniture in time for the reopening of schools on September 5.
“I humbly suggest that purchasing furniture all the way from China, especially with what is happening on the global scene and seas, may be a little problematic for them to get here on time,” Harrison had said. “Teachers and students cannot be competing for [furniture] or standing during the execution of their lessons.”
Along with Belmont Academy and Muschett High, the schools engaged under the MOU are Central High, Ocho Rios High, St Andrew Technical High, Vere Technical High, Oracabessa High, and Port Antonio High.