Something Extra | Monday
A celebration of Jamaica’s exceptional business leadership, the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s 30th Anniversary Banquet, brought together a constellation of influential figures at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Thursday. The black-tie affair brimmed with luminaries, who cheered on the newest inductee in its hall of fame, Christopher Zacca, president and chief executive officer of Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited. Something Extra has the highlights.
Let us elevate our men
Michelle Chong, co-founder and CEO of Honey Bun, recently made an impassioned call to her fellow Jamaican women to “build up, elevate, and support” their male partners and counterparts, as this was a critical pillar to national development. “A man is such an important part of family life,” Chong said, “an important part in the lives of our children.” She noted that she recently attended a play in which men were ridiculed. “It was discouraging for me,” she opined. Chong was giving the reply at the St Andrew Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Club 50th Anniversary event where she received the Mavis Watts Award, named for the founder of this branch of the Global BPW organisation, from Dr Lilieth Nelson, club president. She paid tribute to her husband, Herbert Chong, who had been her supportive life partner and appealed to her audience to affirm our fellow Jamaican men. This was an excellent prelude to yesterday’s celebration of Father’s Day. The dedication of numerous Jamaican fathers is hardly celebrated, drowned out by the criticism of Jamaican men. The following are examples of positive dads who are featured on popular Jamaican vlogs: Wayne Mitchell — Meet The Mitchells; Asafa Powell — The Powells; Errol Anthony Stevens — Life With the Stevens; Paul — Me and Mi House. The Nationwide News Network programme and podcast Jamaican Dadz features Dennis Brooks, Marlon Campbell, Floyd Green, and sometimes Gordon Swaby, accomplished men in their own right. They discuss various aspects of fathering, including education, co-parenting, and ‘step-fathering’. My favourite episode was their Christmas special, which reflected their dedication to the happiness of their children. Step-fathering is close to my heart as our stepdad of blessed memory, Joscelyn Lowrie, poured so much into his new role as a young man who married my widowed mother who had four young children from her first marriage. Our Saturday library days, outings to the theatre, keen analysis of our school reports, and prayerful habits were a special blessing. So as Chong declared, let us affirm and nurture the men and boys in our families and communities so they can strengthen the foundation of our nation: good family life. Focus on MSMEs Judith James-Watt At the BPW event and a Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) round table discussion last week, there was a call for greater support of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Chong’s Honey Bun Foundation has been nurturing small businesses, guiding them through financial and organisational management. Chorvelle Johnson-Cunningham, CEO of Sagicor Bank, which received the BPW 50th Anniversary Corporate Award, discussed her company’s support of MSMEs. She said that they work along with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation to take MSMEs on a gradual and focused journey for a successful outcome. PSOJ President Metry Seaga, Past President Douglas Orane, and Executive Director Sacha Vacianna Riley hosted the round table discussion with individual members of the organisation. If we could actualise some of the suggestions made, we could address some basic issues which are hampering our national development. CEO of Leisure for Pleasure Judith James-Watts said there appeared to be a disconnection between the curriculum of the tourism degree being taught at tertiary institutions and the requirements of the job. “I asked an applicant who was a graduate in tourism what they would recommend for an eight-day holiday in Jamaica, and they could not answer,” she shared. This is a concern of business legend Karl Hendrickson who had engaged with The University of the West Indies more than two decades ago to discuss the issue of job-readiness of graduates. IT expert Trevor Forrest recommended that the PSOJ had within its membership the companies and individuals who could help each other to promote growth. Dr Shalette Ashman, e-learning pioneer, volunteered to assist with this project. Tishanne Mullings who trains in effective pitching and emotional intelligence was also ready to assist. Orane said he would be collaborating with the staff and fifth formers at Wolmer’s to promote their employability. He challenged us to do likewise with the fifth formers at our alma maters. It was noted that Project STAR, brainchild of former PSOJ President Keith Duncan, had been working with inner-city youth to train and place them in jobs. Metry Seaga noted that we should not be too negative about our country’s progress. He said his “eye test” showed the growth of motor vehicle ownership and leisure activities. Indeed, there is a new restaurant which will not accept walk-in customers, as their bookings have been so high. I was struck by the original thinking of our young entrepreneurs. Artist Shawn Ashman has a gallery at the Summit professional complex. She conducts art therapy sessions and hosts sip and paint events. We have a wealth of visionary young entrepreneurs and an organisation like the PSOJ can bring them on board not only for support but also to benefit their creative strength. Dr Carby on risk management Members of CCRP, the seniors advocacy organisation, enjoyed a comprehensive presentation on risk management from Dr Barbara Carby, former head of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). With the start of the hurricane season and constant warnings on earthquake preparedness, we were pleasantly surprised that Dr Carby also spoke on everyday hazards. Firstly, Dr Carby advised that you should not only secure your important documents, but you should also scan and save them on the Cloud and/or on a flash drive. She said you need to have a family plan, rehearsing a quick way out of your house and a meeting place. You should also keep emergency numbers posted in a central place. She urged seniors to maintain contact, having a plan to speak with or text a key family member or friends every day. She said it was important that you plan a quick exit from your house and in case you are unable to move, you should ensure someone has access to your home. She recommended personal alarms which are now available from several security companies and can simultaneously alert the company and family members. I
Did someone say Pep-aration?
Dr. Shalette Ashman, CEO of the Learning Hub Group answers key questions about Primary Exit Profile (PEP)! Dr. Ashman touches on when PEP preparations should begin, what the exam covers, and how to prepare.@learninghubgrp@shaletteashman #CVMTV#SunriseCVM#SeeItHappen
Wheatley donates $3m towards St Catherine East Central learning hub
In a move aimed at bolstering educational opportunities for young learners, five primary and infant schools in St Catherine East Central are set to benefit from enhanced access to the Learning Hub Digital Library. Spearheaded by Dr Andrew Wheatley, the member of parliament (MP) for the constituency, the initiative received a significant boost with a personal allocation of $3 million, underscoring his commitment to fostering self-empowerment through education. Addressing attendees including principals, grade-six teachers, and student representatives at the Homestead Primary and Infant School last Thursday, as the initiative was rolled out, Wheatley reiterated the significance of investing in education as a cornerstone of effective representation. “Education is a critical part of how we approach representation,” Wheatley affirmed, highlighting the allocation of 40 per cent of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to educational initiatives. “Oftentimes we hear people clamouring for infrastructure development, business assistance, you name it. And, while all that is good, we often neglect something that is more self-empowering and that is education,” he argued. “I must add that this funding of $3 million did not come from my CDF but a personal allocation from me,” the MP noted. Dr Shalette Ashman, an educational technologist and e-learning expert who introduced the Caribbean-based learning and test preparation system, said the e-Learning Hub Digital Library was born out of the idea or enabling access to thousands of interactive books. Ashman, whose expertise in educational technology has garnered acclaim, pointed out the importance of providing students with access to a comprehensive digital library aligned with the curriculum, enabling them to master key concepts from primary school to Caribbean Advancer Proficiency Examination level. “We don’t just want them to have access to books, but books that follow the curriculum, and this digital library follows the curriculum to the tee,” she stressed. Echoing Wheatley’s sentiments, Ashman emphasised the motivational aspect of digital learning, noting that the interactive nature of the platform enhances student engagement and productivity. Following a live demonstration, educators lauded the digital library for its comprehensiveness and relevance to exam preparation. Vice Principal Lorna Gray Smith praised the initiative, expressing enthusiasm for its potential to augment students’ learning experiences. “It will be very instrumental… I can’t wait to run with it,” Smith remarked, highlighting the resource’s coverage of exam-relevant areas. Principal Sophia Deer highlighted the collaborative efforts of stakeholders, noting the support from Digicel Foundation in retrofitting a smart room at Homestead Primary School. Noting it was equipped with essential technology including laptops, tablets, and a smart board with internet access, Deer said, “The smart room reflects a concerted effort to integrate technology into the learning environment.” With the Learning Hub Digital Library accessible 24 hours a day and seven days a week on various devices, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets, students across the Caribbean are poised to benefit from this innovative educational resource. With more than 150,000 users to date, the platform’s widespread adoption underscores its potential to transform learning outcomes and empower the next generation of learners. The other schools to benefit are McCooks Pen, St Johns, and McCauley primary schools.
Dr. Ashman Group Brings E-learning to Africa
Dr. Ashman Group Brings E-learning to Africa The Shalette Ashman Group has partnered with several African E-Learning experts and educators to build a reservoir of interactive content geared toward satisfying the curriculum in selected countries. The initiative is set to roll out in August 2022. Dr. Ashman, who leads the initiative, stated that the project is decade-long labour of love as the content is designed to match specific objectives for each curriculum. Additionally, the project will also see the inclusion of augmented reality workbooks, ebooks and offline apps. Educational Specialist and Founder of E-learning Platform, Dr. Shalette Ashman shares more about the initiative on Sunrise. The E-Learning initiative will allow for online and offline support and access in areas where internet access is unstable. Dr. Ashman is excited and deeply honoured about the opportunity to collaborate with these countries in Africa. Particularly when so much is required to narrow the learning gap, which has become even wider since the Covid-19 pandemic. Source
Dr. Shalette Ashman | TVJ Profile Interview
Hydel cop JISA netball title after defeat of Our Lady of the Angels
HYDEL Prep were crowned JISA Prep School netball champions last week after they defeated Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) Prep to retain the title they last won two years ago. The competition, which was sponsored by LearningHub.Online, saw Hydel defeat OLA 15-10 in the final held at the Lela Robinson Courts while Mona got the better of Alvernia 6-3 in the third-place play-off. Despite the margin of victory, Hydel didn’t have things their own way at all times and had to fight to turn back a spirited OLA team that led at the half-time break. In the opening day rally Alvernia got the better of OLA while Hydel beat Immaculate in the third-place play-off. Hydel Coach Loraine Miller was elated that they were able to defend the title they won in 2019 after the long break caused by COVID-19. “Coming back after two years of no competition, words cannot explain how I feel right now. I am so happy and ecstatic, I’m so elated for these girls.” Miller was happy that her players were able to overcome nerves to win the final. “I know my girls were a bit nervous so I told them that they are to go out there and play simple netball…and in the end here we are — victorious.” OLA Coach Roland Lawrence was proud of what his young team was able to achieve over the course of the season. “I am so proud of my girls. It was a really tough challenge but I think they gave all that they had. They gave a valiant effort, and I couldn’t be any more proud of them. “Making two finals this season, what can I say? It’s a great feat.” Trudy Hardy, chairperson for the JISA Sports Committee, was grateful to be able to return to active competition. “After the two-year break we were really looking forward to coming back out. The girls, schools, coaches were looking forward to coming back out. We are really, really happy that we were able to keep this netball competition this year. “It’s always been a challenge but we are happy that Learning Hub came on board this year, and we hope that we will have more sponsors next year,” she said. Dr Shalette Ashman, CEO of LearningHub.Online, was pleased with what she saw and has promised to return as a sponsor next year. “We are pleased to have partnered with JISA to sponsor the netball competition. It was a wonderful competition, and we see ourselves partnering with JISA in 2023. This competition was properly executed. We salute all the players, all the teams, and we say special congratulations to the winners, Hydel.” With only 16 schools participating this year, Hardy is anticipating the return of a number of schools next year to swell the numbers above 20. — Dwayne Richards Hydel cop JISA netball title after defeat of Our Lady of the Angels – Jamaica Observer
Diva Educator Dr. Shalette Ashman – I told no one I was in need.
She’s got a way about her
Merlgrove High School is not generally recogniSed as having a strong sporting tradition, but how the girls in blue must have cheered themselves hoarse when in 1989 Shalette Ashman won both the 800 and 1500m at the ISSA, Zone Six Champion at the National Stadium. How they must have boasted about having the most enduring athlete in that zone. She could have considered a future in athletics, but the needs at home were so pressing that she had to earn an income immediately after graduation, so the spikes were given away and she got a Government job. Now Shalette looks back at her track training and says, “Sports gave me discipline. I cried every time I lost, not because I grudged the winner, but because I think if I had worked harder I could have won”. She took that discipline into building a career as a trainer in computing and to run a successful business. Today, she is a trainer consultant with the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) and runs her own school, Computer Training and More. The Astroturf was not the first place that she cried because she lost. It had happened before in 1985 when despite her best efforts her name did not appear on the list of students who had been successful at the Common Entrance Examination. At that time, her mother hugged her and simply said, “You have to work harder”. The failures that she has overcome have made Shalette soften towards others who have fallen short of their full potential. That is why she is a dedicated teacher who scored excellent passes between 1997 and 2000 in GCE Computer Studies, making her the most successful teacher in these subjects in the entire nation. “I used to take students home with me and sometimes be with them until after ten O’clock at night, encouraging them. It is my way to give back.” For the Ashmans, education was the way to overcome the desperate poverty under which they raised their children. They lived as a family unit, parents and five children, as one of several tenants in a yard on Grants Pen Road, not far from the offices of the Jamaica Observer. Shalette and her sisters and brothers grew up in the warmth of a neighbourhood where people cared for each other and looked out for each other’s children, but life was undeniably hard. On a typical school morning, ten-year-old Shalette would have to bathe under a standpipe in the yard because there was no running water in the house. The Ministry of Education school-feeding programme was a tremendous blessing because that is how the children got a nutritious lunch five days a week and some of the milk was surreptitiously stashed away to take home as well. At nights a kerosene lamp would light the table for homework even while the sound of the neighbours’ television sets and stereo systems wafted through the windows. The community was tight knit and safe until the general elections rolled around. In 1980 she remembers being very frightened, and she and her siblings would go under the bed to hide from the gunmen who ran through the yard at night. “We knew that we were poor”, she remembers, “but my mother would say, ‘education is important, that is the way to change our situation. All you have to do is to learn’”. Dignity was the hallmark in the Ashman home. Electricity wires crossed the sky over their house, but they did not take what they could not afford. Both parents worked hard to provide for the children. Mr Ashman washed cars five days a week at the Guinness plant and on weekends tilled the soil at his ‘grung’ in the Golden Spring hills. His wife worked as a domestic helper, and after sending the children off to the Grants Pen Pentecostal Church on a Sunday would deprive herself the pleasure of listening to a good sermon and toil beside him to raise the sugar cane, callaloo and fruits that they sold to make extra money. After her second attempt at Common Entrance, Shalette was the first of her mother’s children to be placed at a secondary school of her choice, making the family proud. She stood tall in the pair of borrowed shoes on her graduation day from Constant Spring Primary School. Shortly after starting high school, life got even harder for Shalette and her family because her mother lost her job and never again found fulltime employment. From an early age, the children learned that they too had to do their part to earn for the household. “In a way I actually preferred when my mother was not working because that meant she was at home and we could get dinner earlier. That experience taught us how to be self-reliant. On Saturdays we would walk and sell ginger beer in the Grants Pen Four Roads area and street market. The lady who owned our yard would buy charcoal from the truck and we sold it for her. There was a big zinc pan in the yard covered with zinc and people would come and buy a paint-pan of charcoal. On weekends we would sell sugar cane by the joint outside of ‘dances’ on Grants Pen Road. I was known for selling callaloo. I would walk with it in the box that chicken back comes in; sometimes I felt funny when I saw my classmates, but after that I felt good because they would buy from me and I used to enjoy what I was doing; I put life into it. I enjoyed making money. That is what turned me on – the fact that I had some money to take home.” It so happened that when she was 14 years old, a fortuitous situation enabled her mother to own a home in Stony Hill. Her parents were grateful to be able to provide a calmer environment for their family outside of the volatile community where Shalette and