Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica, Masahiro Obata (centre, front row) and Ambassador Maxine Roberts (third left, front row) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Japan Exchange and Teaching programme participants at their send-off reception. - Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
After seven years the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme is not slowing down.
The latest group of participants got a fine send-off from Ambassador Masahiro Obata at his residence on Seaview Avenue last Friday. Fourteen young people will be heading to the land of the rising sun to help teach Japanese students English. The number is an increase of four over last year; apparently, an indication of how popular the programme has become. The 10 women and four men will be posted over various cities and towns, including Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Osaka.
Encouraging words
Ambassador Obata had encouraging words for the students. He pointed out that the people and communities they would be interacting with would benefit by learning and appreciating other countries. He reminded them that they were representing Jamaica, and that even though they would be going as teachers, they were also students, learning a new culture and way of life. Undersecretary in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ambassador Maxine Roberts, says the programme was helping to bring the two countries even closer, and reiterated that the participants were "de facto cultural ambassadors".
The 14 participants are Omara Turner, Sanjay Powell, Symerna Blake, Kaydene Carty, Anika Hughes, Ayesha Constable, Luke Leyow, Nadine Wright, Wendy-Ann Brown, Carla McKnight, Ovando Bando, Nadya Forbes, Nickeisha Fearon and Matthew Palmer.
Other guests included Shorna-Kay Richards, Valerie Roberts, Huntly Meadly, Kay Dunkley, Omar Tomlinson and Keisha Patterson.
Television Jamaica's, General Manager KayOsborne chats with Tetsuya Yoshimoto (right) from the Japanese Embassy and John Pickersgill of the Jamaica/Japan Society. The Japanese Ambassador hosted a reception for Jamaican students going on a teaching programme to Japan, held at Seaview Avenue last Friday night.
