Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica Pays Courtesy Call on UTech, Jamaica

Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica His Excellency Masaya Fujiwara (left) and Professor Colin Gyles, Acting President, UTech, Jamaica exchange gifts at a courtesy call on the Acting President on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at the UTech, Jamaica Papine Campus.

Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica His Excellency Masaya Fujiwara, paid a courtesy call on Acting President, Professor Colin Gyles and visited places of interest at the Papine Campus in a special visit on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.

The courtesy call included discussions on matters of mutual interest concerning potential partnerships with Japan universities; Japanese language education at UTech, Jamaica and collaboration on the The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme -  a Japanese government initiative that engages university graduates of English, to Japan as assistant language teachers.

Professor Colin Gyles noted that UTech, Jamaica and the Embassy of Japan have had a long and fruitful relationship and that the University looks forward to the continuing exploration and strengthening of these relations. Ambassador Fujiwara expressed sincere thanks for accommodation of the visit and extended the hand of friendship and invitation for further cooperation in supporting development in both countries in areas such as education, music and sports.  Dr. Claire Sutherland, Senior Director, International and Institutional Linkages shared a synopsis of some areas of past and ongoing cooperation with the University and the Embassy of Japan.  These have included the provision of a volunteer tutor for the teaching of the Japanese language in the Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies (FELS).

Campus Tour Highlights

Mrs. Kerry-Ann Rodney-Wellington, Head, Instructional Media Services, Calvin McKain Library gives Ambassador Fujiwara a tour of one of the Library’s recording studios. The Government of Japan donated audio-visual equipment to the Calvin McKain Library twenty years ago.

UTech, Jamaica’s Japanese Language Tutor, Tomoko Uemura (left), greets Ambassador Fujiwara and Cultural Officer of the Japanese Embassy, Kaoru Kajigayama, during a tour of the University’s Papine Campus.

Mr. Orville Byfield, Director of Sport, shows Ambassador Fujiwara and Cultural Officer Kaoru Kajigayama something of interest in the Department of Sport’s trophy collection.

The Ambassador also met and had fruitful discussions on potential areas of cooperation with members of the Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies: (from l-r) Professor Shermaine Barrett, Dean, Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies, Ms Tomoko Uemura, Japanese Language Tutor, Mr. Warrick Lattibeaudaire, Director, Language Teaching and Research Centre, His Excellency Masaya Fujiwara, Kaoru Kajigayama, Cultural Officer, Embassy of Japan and Dr. Claire Sutherland, Senior Director, International and Institutional Linkages. 

End.

Contact:
Michelle Beckford (Mrs.)
Corporate Communications Manager
University of Technology, Jamaica
Telephone: 876 970-5299 
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm