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As of October, wards at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in St. Catherine will have even more prospects for a job and access to higher education beyond the institution's walls. The centre will be boosting its Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) programme, with two critical subjects - Mathematics and English Language added, increasing the programme's offering to five. Currently,...

The Ministry of Transport and Works has acquired two portable vehicle weigh scales, which will be deployed throughout the island, as the government moves to contain damage to the island's road network caused by overloaded trucks. Portfolio Minister, Mike Henry, yesterday (Sept. 8) hosted a meeting of stakeholders in the transport sector at his Maxfield Avenue office, where the use...

The National Housing Trust (NHT) has disclosed that since the start of the year, it has awarded 4,628 new loans totalling $8.17 billion. The figures were released today (September 9), at a press briefing, held at the NHT's headquarters in New Kingston. Most of the loans were made in the April to June quarter, the first quarter of the current...

Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Michael Henry, is to meet with the Toll Authority between Thursday (September 10) and Friday (September 11), to discuss the possibility of a discount for a specific period of time, for motorists. This has resulted from the public outcry over the implementation of toll increases overnight, on the weekend of September 4. Addressing the...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, said today (September 9), that the family needs to be re-established as the basic institution in which both parents inculcate positive values, and attitudes in their children. "Too many children do not have a family in which to grow and be nurtured," the Governor-General lamented. He was speaking at a meeting...

As of tomorrow (Sept. 10), automotive dealers will begin to benefit from a reduction in the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) on imports as the Government seeks to relieve the slump in the industry. Making the announcement at today's (Sept. 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Minister with Responsibility for Information and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said that the motor...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding has explained that if the Government is to pay the reclassification monies to some of the public sector groups, the wage bill will become unmanageable. The Prime Minister was speaking at the launch of the 2009 Compensation and Benefits Report of Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), yesterday (September 8), in Kingston. Mr....

Internal auditors employed in the public sector kicked off their three-day conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston Tuesday (September 8). The inaugural Government of Jamaica's Internal Auditors' Conference is being held under the theme, 'Internal Auditing: A Global Perspective'. Director of the Internal Audit Directorate (IAD) in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hope Blake,...

The Ministry of Justice will be hosting a series of consultations in Tower Hill, Kingston, as part of efforts to implement and develop restorative community justice processes in the community, commencing on Sunday (September 13). This was disclosed by the Co-ordinator of Justice Reform in the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Beverly Little, during an interview with JIS News, Tuesday (September...

Acting Managing Director of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), Paul Abrahams, says the company is reviewing its cashless fare collection system for possible implementation throughout the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR). Mr. Abrahams said that the new system was introduced by VDL, one of the entities comprising the Jonckheere Bus and Coach N.V. Group, which is providing some 200...

Refurbishing and upgrading work on the Whyms Road Basic School, St. James, financed by the Kiwanis Club of Providence, Montego Bay, will ensure that the school's 40 students and three teachers face the new school year in a more learner friendly environment. With the refurbishing and upgrading completed, the upgraded institution was officially handed over on Tuesday (September 8). The...

The state-run Jamaica Urban Transit Company's (JUTC) fleet of public passenger buses is to be expanded over the next 14 months, with the acquisition of an additional 200 units from the Belgian firm, Jonckheere Bus and Coach N.V., at a cost of €67.5 million (J$8.6 billion). Funding is being facilitated through two loans negotiated between the Jamaican Government and a...