Save the Children: Joe Issa Backs School Bus System to Increase Order, Safety, Attendance and Punctuality

Educate the Children charity founder Joe Issa is in support of an initiative to save the children from the shenanigans on the nation’s streets and public transport, stating that a national school bus system has the potential of creating a new generation of better behaved and more educated children and less stressful parents.

                                  Reid (L), Yamazaki and Davis  Issa

“Those of us who can drive our kids to school and back every day must feel a sense of relief not having to worry about what happens to them on the way, and for good reason as much is said to happen on the nation’s streets and busses, and one can never tell in what state children get to school, at what time, or if they ever get there.

“The idea of a national school bus system may not resolve all the issues facing parents, children and schools, but it sure can bring much relief to all stakeholders.

“I think parents will be happier not having to find the fares to send their kids to school every day and boarding them in an orderly, safe and reliable school bus system.

“The kids can travel in greater comfort and shield from bad influences on the streets and public transport.

“And schools will benefit from welcoming more orderly kids to their classroms while boosting their record of attendance and punctuality,” said Issa, who is a businessman, civic leader and philanthropist.

He added: “A national school bus system has the potential of creating a new generation of better behaved and more educated children and less stressful parents. “It’s a win-win for all, including society.”

Issa was commenting on Minister of Education, Youth and Information Senator Ruel Reid’s mission to create a national school bus system which will provide transportation for students in all parishes.

This was revealed at the signing of an $8 million grant agreement with the Japan Grassroots Human Security Project to purchase a school bus for Oracabessa Primary School in St Mary. The signing took place at the Office of the Prime Minister recently, in the presence of Japan Ambassador to Jamaica, Hiromasa Yamazaki and Principal of the Oracabessa Primary School, Gregory Davis.

“We’re looking at an overarching plan to provide transportation for all students. We need 1,000 buses to cover the need of the schools. I have that particular aspiration of a comprehensive national school bus system for a number of reasons; not only for safety, but to get our students to school on time and in a managed and regulated way.

“While we have this vision for the rural transportation system, we didn’t just sit back. We have committed over $204 million at the start of this academic year towards this particular rural bus system,” JIS quoted the minister as saying.

He is said to have emphasised the need for a national school bus system in rural areas, adding that students would be transported more safely, parents would save from the high cost of transportation, and there would be less burden on the rural transport operators with privately owned vehicles, according to the government news agency.

“The cost for transportation is extremely high in rural areas. We’re talking about small farmers who are essentially just trying to survive. There is a significant number of students in the rural areas who are on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), and they will need the transportation system,” the Minister argued.

Pointing out that on average about 20 per cent of students are absent from school each day, Reid cited the recent Survey on Living Conditions, noting “it wasn’t strange to us that an overwhelming majority of those who were interviewed said money was the main fault why they couldn’t send their children to school regularly.”

Senator Reid said he believes a new comprehensive national school bus system would support PATH.

“We’re doing a lot in trying to get the children to school [through PATH], trying to give them lunch for five days, trying to provide insurance, IDs and books. That’s wonderful, but if the children are not able to get to school, all of those efforts are for naught,” he said.

The Japan Grassroots Human Security Project is said to have been developed based on an alliance formed by the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica and the National Education Trust on April 20, 2015. This partnership is aimed at meeting education needs at the primary level in schools in need of assistance.

Joe Issa Supports Call for Smartphone Impact Research on Kids

Founder of Cool Corporation and a parent of two, Joe Issa, has supported a call for Apple to undertake research on the impact of smartphones on children, stating it is long overdue.

“We have had smartphones around for several years and we still do not know for sure what effect it is having on our kids who use them.

“With so much content in text and vedio we don’t know what our kids are reading and viewing and their appropriateness.

“We don’t even know if it is addictive or pose a health risk with prolonged use as has been said of electronic devices generally.

“And with the multitude of apps that are available on smartphones and their level of sophiscation in terms of functionality, parents will be challenged to control what their kids are exposed to and for how long.

“I think Apple will be well advised to do that research out of concern for our young, impressionable minds, which I also agree makes good business sense,” said Issa, who was referring to news that two large Apple shareholders say it needs to research the impact of smartphones on kids

In an article originally appeared on TechCrunch, two of Apple’s institutional shareholders, hedge fund Jana Partners and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), are said to have called on the company to study the impact of smartphone use on child development.

It cited an open letter, in which the two investors said that after reviewing research, they believe that Apple needs to give parents more resources and software tools to make sure their kids are using their devices “in an optimal manner.”

Although together, Jana and CalSTRS hold only $2 billion of the Apple’s current $898 billion market capitalisation, however, the letter is said to be noteworthy, because both investors are influential activist shareholders.

Jana Partners managing director Barry Rosenstein pushed Whole Foods to put itself up for sale before the grocery chain’s acquisition by Amazon last year, while CalSTRS, which manages retirement benefits for public \educators in California, is the second-largest public pension fund in the United States.

“In a letter signed by Rosenstein and CalSTRS director of corporate governance Anne Sheehan, the two shareholders said they worked with child development experts to review studies that found links between the use of electronic devices and negative effects on concentration, emotional health, sleep and empathy,” wrote the report.

It said that research done by psychologist and San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge was also included. Twenge is believed to have found that American teens who spend three or more hours a day on electronic devices are more likely to have a risk factor for suicide than their peers who use them for less than an hour a day.

The letter is also said to have rgued that making parents bear ultimate responsibility for their kids’ device and social media use is missing the point because parents still need the support of tech companies.

“It is also no secret that social media sites and applications for which the iPhone and iPad are a primary gateway are usually designed to be as addictive and time-consuming as possible, as many of their original creators have publicly acknowledged,” Rosenstein and Sheehan wrote, adding even though an American Psychological Association study found 94% of parents try to manage their kids’ technology use, “it is both unrealistic and a poor long-term business strategy to ask parents to fight this battle alone.”

“The two believe that current parental control features in software are ineffective because they force parents to take an “all or nothing approach” by only allowing them to prevent access to certain functions or features. Furthermore, they claim many apps designed to help parents monitor their kids’ tech consumption aren’t backed by strong research and don’t have the same impact as they would with Apple’s support.

“Jana and CalSTRS proposed several steps Apple can take, including tasking one of their executives (or hiring a new one) to focus on the issue and deliver annual reports, similar to its Environmental Responsibility Reports, for more transparency; creating a committee of child development experts; supporting researchers by giving them access to Apple’s information resources; and adding new setup menus and other options to software so parents can tailor functionality to specific age groups,” the article said.

“As one of the most innovative companies in the history of technology, Apple can play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do,” Rosenstein and Sheehan was quoted as saying.

TechCrunch is said to have contacted Apple for comment.

‘Stay Involved in Children’s School Lives’: Joe Issa Shares NPTAJ Parental Tips

Advocate for good parenting Joe Issa, has shared parental tips offered by the National Parent Teacher’s Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), urging parents to adopt them as they are instructive for getting involved in their children’s school lives.

Stating they are the country’s future workforce and communities, Issa said, “Ii is critical for the children’s academic and wholesome development, that parents play an active role in their school work.”

“It gives them a sense of comfort and confidence in themselves and this will show up in their performance both at school and at play, in terms of their relationship with other children.

“Children need to feel they are loved and cared about, and nothing makes a better impression than taking an interest in their school work, checking their books, knowing their teachers, attending PTA meetings and drilling in them the importance of abiding with the rules of the school,” said Issa, who has frequently commented on the role of fathers, in particular, in ensuring the wellbeing of their children.

Issa was commenting on the validity of tips offered by the NPTAJ which encourage parents to get and stay involved in their children’s school lives.

A release by the association, which was carried by the Jamaica Observer, outlined several tips and ways parents can stay involved. These included the following:

1. Attend orientation days, visit school and meet their new teachers. Establish and maintain contact.

2. Get your hands on the syllabus, follow up on homework and ensure all projects are completed and handed in on time.

3. Ensure you familiarise yourself with the rules of the school and ensure your child abides by the rules.

4. When in doubt, seek information/assistance from the relevant sources.

5. Ensure your children get to school on time, in proper attire, and ensure they get home early enough in the evenings to get homework started and prepare for the next day.

6. Children must be home by 8.00pm, preferably earlier if not travelling with you.

7. Establish bed times and help set up study schedules for your children.

8. Limit television, Internet and social media interaction during school days.

9. Ensure proper nutrition is maintained at home and at school.

10. Know where your child is at all times. The security of your children is your responsibility first.

11. Know who your child is hanging out with. Meet their friends’ parents, know where they live.

12. Get involved in your PTA, attend PTA meetings and grade meetings, volunteer your time, donate to worthy causes, and help make your school communities stronger.

It pleaded with parents to not drop off their child on orientation day and then go missing until graduation day.

The NPTAJ said being involved “will make a world of difference to the quality of the child’s education and growth, and will help build the foundation upon which Jamaica’s future leaders will stand and lead the world in years to come.”