Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has informed that 99 per cent of loan applications received by the Students' Loan Bureau (SLB) this year were approved. Making his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate today (September 22), he informed that more persons were approved for loans, as changes were made...

The Government will stand surety for tertiary-level students having difficulty identifying a guarantor for a loan from the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB), under the condition that they are enrolled at a teacher-training institution and are willing to be bonded for five years. This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, while speaking at...

Transport and Mining Minister, Lester ‘Mike’ Henry, signed three (3) agreements with Jiuquan Iron & Steel Company (JISCO) in Jiayuguan China this morning, which effectively finalizes the acquisition of ALPART by JISCO. These are the Establishment Agreement, the Fiscal Regime Agreement and the Agency and Land Use Agreement.  These documents outline the agreements between the Government of Jamaica and JISCO,...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has instructed the National Housing Trust (NHT), to give attention to housing in communities around Barbican in St. Andrew. He said with the US$4.4-million road improvement project now under way in the area, the housing needs of the residents must be advanced, stressing that Barbican has potential for “significant economic expansion”, but it...

Female farmers at the Schwallenburgh Greenhouse Cluster and Water Harvesting Project in Rio Hoe, St. Ann, say things are changing, while acknowledging that farming has long been a male-dominated profession. Speaking to JIS News, the female farmers note that of the 20 farmers that are involved in the World Bank-sponsored greenhouse project, nearly 50 per cent are women who have...

The government of Jamaica through the combined efforts of the Ministries of Labour and Social Security, Local Government and Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, has been engaged in evacuating Jamaicans living in the Caribbean and the British Virgin Islands, who were affected by the recent Hurricanes. To date approximately 100 Jamaicans were brought home. On Sunday September 24, 2017, in...

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) and The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) have teamed up to provide motorists with an easier way of paying their Motor Vehicle Fitness Fees. These fees can now be paid on line at www.jamaicatax.gov.jm and motorists will no longer have to visit a Tax Office to do so. The ITA Depots that will facilitate the processing of...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s elderly citizens through the development of a National Registry for Seniors. Speaking at the launch of Senior Citizens’ Week 2017 on September 21 at The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, said the Registry, which falls...

Several activities will be held to mark Tourism Awareness Week (TAW), which will be observed from September 24 to 30, under the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development’. This year’s observance will incorporate World Tourism Day, slated for September 27. Activities include a church service at St. John's Methodist Church in Montego Bay, St. James, on September 24;...