Speakers at the inaugural Early Childhood 2009 Development Expo have shared the conclusion that early-childhood education is one of the most important elements for the total development and improvement of the academic performance of students in Jamaica.

Yesterday, those who spoke at the expo, hosted by the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust and held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, had much to say:

Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughan, Chair, Early Childhood Commission

Samms-Vaughan

We have in our country too many people who don't think and reason for themselves, are told something and given it and accept it and spit it out by rote. That's a major concern for us. If we start teaching our young children how to do and think rather than accepting what is done by rote, encouraging them to ask why, how, when and encouraging them to explore, we would have done this country a great service, now and in the future.

Senator Basil Waite, Opposition spokesman on education

Waite

A plethora of research has shown that a strong early childhood is important to the development in the primary and secondary years.

Approximately 58 per cent of students at the Caribbean Examinations Council level pass three or less subjects, and less than 30 per cent matriculate for tertiary education.

The only way we are going to break this is through early childhood education.

Dr Rebecca Tortello, Early childhood adviser to the minister of education

Tortello

Education is a partnership between home, school and community and if we don't see it as that in the future, it will continue to be unsustainable. One of the most significant challenges we face in our education system is that our children do not enter primary school as emergent readers. What that means is that they are not at the point where they are ready to start to learn to read. They are not comfortable holding books, listening to stories, answering critical questions about the stories. The most important thing that we can do for our children from the time they are very little is reading with them and playing with them. If we did more of that, we would be better off as a nation and the children would play better with each other.

Carlton Levy, The Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ)

Levy

Over the last five years, the EFJ has spent just about $125 million on interventions in early childhood development in communities, districts, towns and cities throughout Jamaica. I know that we would be preaching to the converted, so I will not give you the wide range of reasons about why it is so critical to make sure that the smallest minds in Jamaica are properly moulded and given room to develop and grow into our future leaders and workforce.