Jamaica hosts sixth Japan Exchange AGM

Saturday, November 21, 2009 6:52 AM

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BY KIMONE THOMPSON Career & Education senior reporter thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, October 18, 2009

JAMAICA recently played host to the sixth annual general meeting of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme Alumni Association (JETAA), becoming the first country outside of the G7 bloc of countries to host the event.

"Jamaica won the bid this year and it's the first time it's being held outside of G7, so that's a big deal for us," president of the Jamaican chapter of JETAA, Kaye Dunkley told Career & Education. "We're likkle but tallawah... We've been making an impact with smaller numbers. There are associations with 9,000 members and Jamaica has maybe 50 members but we're doing the same kind of projects that (the larger groups) are doing so the selection panel was very impressed with what we're doing."

Japanese lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Tomoko Uemura (right) greets Japanese ambassador to Jamaica, Hiroshi Yamaguchi (left) and his wife Yoko. (Photo: Jermaine Barnaby)

In addition to promoting the JET programme locally, those projects include promoting the teaching of Japanese culture in primary and prep schools.
"We have introduced Japan into the GSAT curriculum. They have to study a foreign country and Japan is now one of them. Part of what we do is to go around to schools to educate teachers on how to talk about Japan and to show the students authentic documents from Japan to make it (come alive)," said Dunkley.

JETAA has 51 regional chapters in 16 countries and over 20,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1989 with the primary goal of consolidating the bonds formed between participants of the JET programme.

Now in its 22nd year, the JET programme promotes exchanges between Japan and other nations at the grass roots level. This year, a total of 4,682 participants from 38 countries jetted off to the eastern Asian island country.

Jamaica's own participation in the JET programme began in 2001. Each year since then, about 15 of our college or university graduates have been contracted by Japanese local government authorities to teach English to Japanese students.

At a dinner held in honour of the JET Alumni who had travelled from countries including Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, the United States and Canada, Japanese ambassador to Jamaica, Hiroshi Yamaguchi welcomed the foreigners to the island in his capacity as host, quoting lyrics by the legendary Bob Marley.

"We welcome you to this wonderful island of Jamaica where we can get together and feel alright," the ambassador said.

"We are here tonight to honour your service and I am proud to call you aspiring ambassadors because you have garnered the expertise and cultural diversity that will certainly add new dimensions and give strong impetus to further strengthening the cordial relations between the peoples of our countries.

"Under the banner of uniting and advancing together, the government of Japan is proud to call you partners in the process of promoting mutual understanding in bringing Japan back home. Let me hope that you will keep up your relationship with Japan and continue to visit upon future occasions," he added, before raising his glass in a toast.

The JETAA AGM ran from October 1 to 4.

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