Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen received the incoming Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) President and Secretariat, in a virtual Courtesy Call at King’s House on Tuesday 3rd May 2022. The occasion was also used to read the Proclamation declaring May 3 as “Read Across Jamaica Day”.
In highlighting the importance of reading, Sir Patrick spoke to its positive effects on students’ vocabulary, literacy and comprehension; urging teachers to use storytelling in the classroom.
Addressing Mrs. La Sonja Harrison, incoming President of the JTA, His Excellency extended congratulations on her appointment and issued a charge to continue the noble work and representation of the Association as done by immediate predecessor, Mr. Jasford Gabriel.
Speaking to his own experiences in academia, and that of former Governors-General, Sir Patrick suggested that teaching seems not only to be a task critical to the development of Jamaica, but a qualifier of sorts for its Heads of State. Sir Clifford Campbell, Sir Howard Cooke and Sir Kenneth Hall have etched themselves in Jamaica’s history as educators across from the classroom to Cabinet.