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Thousands of Jamaicans turned out at King's House on (Sept. 11) for the swearing-in ceremony for Orette Bruce Golding, as the eighth Prime Minister of Jamaica. The ceremony began at 3:30 p.m. with a musical prelude by the Jamaica Military Band, and as 4:00 p.m. approached, Mr. Golding and wife Lorna Golding proceeded to the platform to loud cheers and...

All 169 public educational institutions in the western parishes of Hanover, St. James, and Westmoreland were re-opened for the start of the new school year on Monday, September 10. Acting Regional Director for the Ministry of Education and Youth's Region Four, Devon Ruddock, told JIS News there was "a very successful start" to the new school term, notwithstanding the challenges...

Employers are being urged to submit employees' National Housing Trust (NHT) contributions, as failure to comply could result in fines and other penalties. Assistant General Manager for Contribution Management at the Trust, Elton Vassell, addressing a Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC)-organized seminar on 'The NHT and the Employer: Finding Solutions,' today (Sept. 12) at the Terra Nova hotel in Kingston,...

The Foga Road High School in Clarendon opened its doors yesterday(Sept. 10) with 260 students at the grade 7 level. Foga Road High is one of two new schools opened by the Ministry of Education and Youth in keeping with its thrust to provide additional secondary spaces for students. The other school is Troy High School in Trelawny. Situated on...

Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) at Nain in St. Elizabeth has provided much needed assistance to a number of educational institutions that were recently impacted by Hurricane Dean. Speaking to JIS News, Public Relations Manager at the company, Lance Neita noted that so far, some $2 million has been earmarked for schools in South St. Elizabeth and South Manchester that...

The new academic year got off to a smooth start in Portland yesterday, with most schools in the parish reporting a successful first day. Surveys conducted by JIS News indicated that the schools all experienced high student attendance levels with no major dislocations. Principals of various schools have expressed general satisfaction with the re-opening process, despite the setback caused to...

Director General of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), J. Paul Morgan has said that the island's fuel policy needs to be addressed as a matter of priority, adding that all the existing generating plants at the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) may need to be retired within the next ten years. Against this background Mr. Morgan expressed the view...

More than 350 students currently enrolled in a number of educational institutions in Clarendon and Manchester have received much needed back- to-school assistance in the form of bursaries and books from Jamalco. Speaking recently at a ceremony held at the Jamalco Lands Office in Williamsfield, Manchester, Public Relations Administrator, Pamela Whyte noted that the donation is valued at $1.1 million....

Ten (10) entities have been selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands' National Forestry Conservation Fund to share some $43 million in financing this fiscal year, to undertake various conservation projects targeting watersheds and forest reserves across the island. Executive Officer of the Fund, Rainee Oliphant, tells JIS News that the cash grants are ready and the first tranche...

New Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, has pledged that over the next 100 days, action will be taken on a number of initiatives, which are aimed at improving people's lives and the process of governance. Mr. Golding, who gave the undertaking in his inaugural speech after being sworn in as Jamaica's eighth Prime Minister today (Sept. 11) on the...

Today, I assume the office of Prime Minister of Jamaica. I do so with deep humility, knowing well that while it is one of the highest offices of the land, it demands the highest service. The word "Minister" is a Latin word which means "servant". Therefore, today, I have become the chief servant of the people of Jamaica. I thank...

Sixteen students, the children of workers at the Sandals Montego Bay Hotel, were presented with bursaries totaling $270,000 at a ceremony held at that hotel on Friday (Sept. 7). The students were selected through the hotel's 'Special Achievers Core' programme, which aims to ensure that "there are no financial barriers to prevent the beneficiaries under the programme from continuing their...