Premier travelled to Canada to look at its early education

| 01/05/2024 | 50 Comments
Bernice Cipparrone from George Brown College, Before and After School Care Coordinator Niela Jones, Senior Policy Manager Pearlyn Henry-Burrell, Acting DCO Adrian Jones, Premier Juliana O’Çonnor-Connolly, Acting CO Lyneth Monteith, Gayle Hunter from Toronto Metropolitan University, ECCE Officer Vanessa Cameron, Early Intervention Programme Manager Cheryl Rock, and Collette Kane from the Parkdale Child Care Centre

(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly travelled again recently, though no information was released about her trip prior to or during her absence from the Cayman Islands. According to a press release issued this week, she led a delegation to Canada in her role as education minister to examine that country’s Early Childhood Care and Education sector and learn from Canada’s practices, particularly public-private partnership models.

This included community-based support programmes for vulnerable children and families, the release stated. She also explored potential student exchange programmes and qualification pathways for aspiring early childhood educators. The delegation also visited ECCE institutions such as the Nelson Mandela Child Care Centre and Parkdale Child Care Centre.

“This visit was invaluable in gathering insights on how we can further strengthen our early childhood education programmes in the Cayman Islands,” O’Connor-Connolly said. “We are unwavering in our commitment to providing all our children with the best possible start in life, and the knowledge gained from Canada will be instrumental in achieving this goal.”

The delegation also had discussions with several key education stakeholders, including Dr Zeenat Janmohamed, the executive director and senior policy analyst at the Atkinson Centre, University of Toronto. They also met with the dean, deputy dean and acting chairperson of the School of Early Childhood of George Brown College, and a programme advisor in the Ministry of Education.

Accompanying the premier on the trip were Acting Chief Officer Lyneth Monteith, Acting Deputy CO Adrian Jones, Senior Policy Advisor and Manager for ECCE Dr Pearlyn Henry-Burrell, Early Childhood Officer Vanessa Cameron, Morning and Aftercare Programme Coordinator Neila Jones, and Early Intervention Programme Coordinator Dr Cheryl Rock.


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Category: Education, Local News

Comments (50)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    02 @9:24am –CIG should promptly embrace AI in all areas….phones may get answered and emails responded. General improvements in public services!!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Should have taken Bernie, Kenny, John John and Mac with her.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Like the Health Services we are spending so much money on education with so little results. Why Canada? This is a British Caribbean Island why didn’t they liaise with England?

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      • Anonymous says:

        8:29, shorter flight and better shopping.

      • Anonymous says:

        UK demands higher education standards.
        Parental involvement.
        1st world trained and dedicated teachers.
        Respect for staff .
        A few examples above which set out inconveniences to Caribbeanisation.

    • Anonymous says:

      And make Saunders stay here..?
      No thank you, take the lot and leave them there.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Have to be able to read to qualify.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Juju need to enroll herself in early education. She’s a fool.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Early Childhood Education is where Juliana can find her mental peer group.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    She should be speaking to Olly at the Edge Foundation in London.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Do they do in class exorcisms in Canada? Asking for a friend.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Just another excuse to skive off whatever works she does!!

    A joke of an “Education Minister”.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    I guess phone calls and emails would be too easy…

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  9. Brackers Lament says:

    Juliana continues to think small.

    The great misfortune of the Brac is that Julie and Moses have never managed to attract a military invasion by Spaniards requiring an armed response from the UK, a military base and perpetual defense spending of £75m pa.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Soooo why such a large contingent on the government dollar? That should have been a 2 man trip. Note discussions and prepare a report for the rest of the team.
    Remember google? You can actually find policies and programs on-line and read and figure crap out yourself.
    The public should be asking to see a written report to support these trips and how it will be used here. But wait, how do you compare apples and oranges? A population of Canada that its people pay heavy taxes to run these programs versus what we have here – no direct taxes to support. But wait we almost forgot, building a $50million high school in the Brac will solve all of these problems.

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    • Anonymous says:

      O Canada… I am so sorry.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’ve been in education for 31 years. I could fix the system in 1 year without traveling, without a consultant, without all the b.s. and I am sure any other qualified teacher could. Problem is, they (admin) wouldn’t like what we had to say.

  11. Anonymous says:

    AI 🤖is about to take over most jobs yet they are still learning how to teach kids abc and simple arithmetics

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    • Anonymous says:

      02 @9:24am –CIG should promptly embrace AI in all areas….phones may get answered and emails responded. General improvements in public services!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    For the troubled education – we go to 🇨🇦Canada to get answers.
    For the troubled transportation – we go to 🇧🇧Barbados to see how they do it.
    For the troubled agriculture – we go to 🇯🇲Jamaica.
    For the troubled postal service – we go to 🇶🇦Qatar.
    Then we sleep loong 😴😴😴😴😴😴digesting what we have learned ( if anything)
    In 5 years we start this process again.
    Accountability for the money spent -zero.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Add Figg for postal service advice for Juju and her bodyguard… via 5 star hotels en route.

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    • Richard Arch says:

      In the 1970s when the NCSS/NCVO was considering the establishing of a Children’s z entre and the Light House School we consulted with the University of the West Indies and they gave us excellent advice and an experienced teacher was assigned to us for a period. both of those projects were very successful. I am sure the reports are still out there somewhere but I recall that the lady’s opening address to us that children’s education and success must always begin with “Our father in Heaven…” and continue with love, attention and affection.
      That method should have continued.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    certified jolly…with usual cut and paste waffle statement. end of story.

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  14. Cheese Face says:

    Stop wasting our money, you have failed, step down, sit in a dark room and talk to your imaginary friends.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    “Premier Travelled” would have been sufficient for the headline. Premier travels, Minister travels, Government delegation attends etc. etc. etc.

    There is hardly a problem that might arise which doesn’t warrant a trip overseas as part of the solution.

    I say bring back Kurt Tibbetts, and only elect politicians who are afraid to fly.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    You know she’s on a jolly when she doesn’t announce where she’s going and it turns out to be something like this.

    The press and public should be told about these trips in advance of them happening or at least at the same time. Our politicians should not be flying anywhere without our knowledge. They are spending our money and working on our behalf. We are entitled to know what they are doing.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well…they are spending our money but it is questionable whether they are working on our behalf.

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  17. Keep government out of preschool says:

    The problem isn’t preschool. The problem is government run schools. Keep government out of preschool.

    This is only common sense.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly….trying to take on something new without trying to fix the current mess of the public school system.

      Beautiful buildings for those high schools. Now let’s improve the schooling!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Keep government out of governance and we’ll all be much better off.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    They destroyed the working and reputable British system on purpose, refuse to acknowledge their mistake and revert to what works (St.Ignatius and Cayman Prep), or to investigate the world leading attributes of IB (CIS), or go to where things actually work best (Finland and Singapore) and go to Canada? Seriously?

    God save us!

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  19. Anonymous says:

    Maybe she should have stayed there and enrolled herself as she seems to have missed the essence of a proper early childhood education.

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  20. Anonymous says:

    First step: teach how to survive in this life and not how to hopefully achieve life after death which is a huge lie. Religion is a social construct designed to control and profit from the masses and will die out simultaneously once indoctrination of children dies.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Could we get lucky and they just stay there in sunny Canada?

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  22. Elon Must says:

    Please vote the minister of miseducation out. Then fire all her cronies, managers, directors and other time wasters. We have had enough of these imposters lining their pockets while selling us smoke and dim mirrors. Let’s do it Cayman!

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  23. Anonymous says:

    All Senior Management should be fired post haste before creating another disaster in Education. The so called Education Ministry should be investigated for a decision making strategy on selecting managers with a particular religious bent, notably Seventh Day Adventist. These so called Managers and Directors are only managing their pockets while pumping smoke and shining mirrors. How long are we going to put up with this glaring incompetence? Do like Elon Musk and fire all of them. The minister is the easiest. Just vote her out Myfellow Caymanians.

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  24. Anonymous says:

    Why not Finland? Canada is a mess.

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