Jonathan Grant PTA president a critic of progress

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I write with regard to an article published on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, titled 'Autocratic approach to lock out students for no TRN, says PTA'.

The parent-teacher association president, Andrew Smith, is ignorant of much of what is required for preparing students to make a more smooth transition beyond the secondary-school level. He has just made his ignorance known publicly, under the pretence of representing parents and students of the Jonathan Grant High School.

There are a number of school programmes that students need their TRN to access, even while they are in school, as well as on exiting the institution: opening bank accounts to encourage early savings and investments, which has proven to be very helpful; Youth Service programme and other summer jobs, in which many of students seek employment to assist themselves and ease the burden of parents financially; food handler's permit for HEART NTA and TVET exams. Besides, some businesses with which one needs to do transactions in Jamaica require a TRN from customers.

If Andrew Smith were a proactive PTA president who saw the importance of spending time to learn and share the vision of the school and the direction in which the principal, Dr O'Neil Ankle, and his team are taking this institution, he would not have been fighting against the implementation of this initiative. Students have been told on numerous occasions to get their TRN. As someone who closely has an eye on Jonathan Grant High and tracking the positive changes taking place since this principal took over leadership, I know that students have been offered the opportunity to get their TRN on campus, on several occasions, via the various programmes organised by the Guidance and Counselling Department in its annual Career and Guidance Programmes. Students were given enough time to get their TRNs.

What message does one send to the other students who comply? Education is not just about mastering academic subjects.

To insinuate that Dr Ankle does not include all categories of stakeholders is a blatant lie.

GUARDIAN OF TWO CHILDREN