Chairman of the Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC), Dr. Adrian Stokes, has welcomed the improved performance in literacy and numeracy at the grade-four level. In the recently concluded assessment for grade four, 99 per cent of students demonstrated satisfactory performance in literacy while 70 per cent of students showed mastery in numeracy. “This compares well to the 2024 data, when...

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting that the point-to-point domestic inflation rate for September stood at 2.1 per cent, marking a modest increase of 0.9 percentage points from the 60-year record low of 1.2 per cent recorded in August. STATIN also indicates that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.8 per cent for the review period. Acting...

The MultiCare Youth Foundation (MYF) will embark on a new five-year initiative to improve literacy, in partnership with the Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL) Foundation. This follows the successful completion of the European Union (EU)-funded BRIDGE Project. Executive Director of the MYF, Mitzian Turner, made the announcement during the Graduation and Close-Out Ceremony for the BRIDGE Project, held recently at The...

State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Kerensia Morrison, has hailed Jamaica’s rural women as pillars of national development, commending their resilience, creativity, and vital contributions to food security and community advancement. She was speaking during the International Day of Rural Women (IDRW) 2025 Empowerment Forum and ‘FarmHers’ Market, held on Wednesday (October 15) at...

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government’s New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) is building resilience in Jamaica’s housing stock, while simultaneously addressing the issue of homelessness across the nation. Dr. Holness made the declaration while handing over a two-bedroom unit to Denique Groves in Shooters Hill, Bull Bay, St. Andrew, on October 15. Ms. Groves lost...

Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, has been appointed to serve on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) International Executive Committee as a Representative for the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region. The appointment took effect at the conclusion of the 68th staging of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Barbados from October 5 to 12. The...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, has received the 2025 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Equality and Diversity Award. This is in recognition of her transformational and inclusive leadership in advancing gender equality and social justice in Jamaica. Speaking in the House of Representatives recently, Minister Grange said she was humbled by the recognition and thanked the Commonwealth...