JHTA president calls for foreign language promotion in schools

Claudia Gardner, Assignment Coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Assocition (JHTA) Evelyn Smith has called for the study of foreign languages to be better promoted within Jamaican schools.

Smith's comments came during the official launch of the first Russian and Spanish Languages Skills Training Programme for tourism industry workers in Negril last Thursday. The programme is being staged by the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and the Tourism Product Development Company and being funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund to the tune of $3 million.

"There are far too many students coming through our school system without actually studying foreign languages. I really think that, in addition to programmes like this, we need to strongly push foreign languages much more within our school system," Smith said.

"It (foreign language training) is something that is critical. The JHTA is always about creating an enabling environment for tourism to thrive because we know that tourism affects the lives of Jamaicans across the length and breadth of the island," she added.

The Russian and Spanish Languages Skills Training Programme is expected to train 300 front-line tourism workers in Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios, including immigration and customs officers, red cap porters, taxi and bus drivers, craft vendors, and workers in hotels and attractions, as well as Jamaica Tourist Board personnel, in a bid to equip them with basic language skills in order to effectively engage visitors in brief conversation at points of entry to the island and other customer contact areas.

The Russian aspect of the programme gets under way in Montego Bay on November 28 and in Negril on December 4. It will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays in Montego Bay, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Negril. It will be held over a 12-week period, with each group receiving two classes of two hours per week.