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PHILIPSBURG – The first phase of a teacher support program was concluded recently, Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs disclosed Wednesday, February 24.
The Minister, speaking at the weekly Council of Ministers press briefing, asserted government’s support for on-the-job training for teachers and school staff. The Minister noted that the first phase involved the Seventh Day Adventist School, Hillside Christian School and the Public Elementary Schools with training on special needs students.
“The teacher support program is an ongoing on-the-job training for elementary teachers; however, the support staff and management also participated. The training was facilitated by Mrs. Gibbs who is a special needs specialist from Barbados, and it provided appropriate instruction for students with special needs,†Minister Jacobs said.
The programs, the Minister said were conducted in the morning, and the workshops done in the afternoon. Meetings were also held with the school management and care teams. “All of this with the expected outcome that the teachers would be better able to identify, accommodate and differentiate instructions for those students experiencing learning difficulties in the classroom,†Jacobs said.
Student Support Services Division (SSSD) is the referral point for many schools on St. Maarten, Jacobs noted. She commended the division for implementing the workshop, and is looking forward to the other phases of the program.
