JAMAICA'S JAPANESE population will trend sharply downwards this month when seven families depart after sojourns ranging from six months to five years. They were part of a project undertaken by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, (JICA), and the government of Jamaica, known officially as The Technical and Vocational Education and Training Improvement Project for Technical High Schools in Jamaica.
The project began in May, 1997, when Jamaica requested technical assistance from Japan in order to improve Technical and Vocational Education Training, (TVET), in the fields of auto-mechanics, computer assisted drafting (CAD), electronics and machine shop. Jose Marti Technical High School was selected as the base for a pilot project which would see training of teachers in all 14 technical high schools in the island.
Buildings at the school were provided by HEART/NTA at a cost of J$33 million. JICA provided personal computers for CAD lathes, milling machine, modelling systems, robot, digital printing machine and many other necessary items.
Project leader, Takashi Nagakura, remained for the duration of the project. When he came to Jamaica in 1997, the co-ordinator, Mamoea Iida, arrived with him. No stranger to the island, Mr. Iida had served as co-ordinator of the Japanese Overseas Co-operation Volunteers which dispatched young people to various parts of the country for a stay of two to three years. When Mr. Iida moved to Kenya after three years, Mr. Isao Tojo took over his duties.
In the school itself there were always four experts who worked with two Jamaican counterparts each. Recently, a curriculum development specialist joined the team. In all, nineteen Japanese worked on the project for varying lengths of time.
Seventeen Jamaicans went to Japan for training. They
were all involved in in-service training of colleagues from other technical high schools in Jamaica. Sessions were held regularly usually attracting up to twenty teachers at a time. Many of those who visited Jose Marti envied the equipment provided by the Japanese government and wished they had it in their schools! Presentations of items were made to several schools to help upgrade their facilities and to assist with the establishment of CAD rooms now that CXC will be including this as an option in the Technical Drawing exams. Holmwood Technical now has a fully equipped CAD room.
In December last year a full evaluation of the project was carried out by a Japanese and Jamaican group. Four consultants came from Japan at that time. The five criteria of evaluation were: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. The results were impressive.
Now that the team will return to Japan it is believed that the Jamaicans will be able to continue, especially with in-service training.
The project allowed for cross cultural experiences for both sides. The Japanese experts had to overcome language difficulties and to understand the concept of "Jamaica time". They are more accustomed to lesson plans than many Jamaican teachers and were able to assist in this respect. They also had adventures driving from Kingston to Jose Marti each day.
The Jamaican counterparts had eye-opening experiences when they visited Japan. They, too, faced a language problem but were assigned interpreters to accompany them when they went into the schools. They found the amount of equipment impressive. For some it was their first visit outside of Jamaica. They had to adapt to Japanese food and to the system of bowing when greeting people.
Big plus for the Japanese project members was the ability to play golf on the weekends, much cheaper here than in Japan! Many of them tried to play at all of Jamaica's courses and regularly organised Japanese gold competitions with others of their countrymen.
The children who accompanied their parents to Jamaica attended school here and improved their English. All families made good use of leisure time to see the island.
They enjoyed the food, especially patties and jerk chicken and have also appreciated rum and Red Stripe beer! Most will take back Blue Mountain coffee, a bargain here compared to what it costs in Japan.
The teachers will return immediately to their regular jobs in Japan. Mr. Nagakura and Mr. Tojo may be reassigned to projects in other developing countries.
