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Ten water tanks valuing more than $82,000 have been installed in several Old Harbour Bay communities in St. Catherine following the passage of Hurricane Dean. The tanks are a gift from C-Cam, an environmental agency, which partnered with relief organisation, Oxfam International, to obtain the items. Installation of the tanks is being spearheaded by the St. Catherine Parish Disaster Committee...

As part of back-to-school preparations, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has advised parents, who benefit under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), to ensure that their children's names are on the PATH beneficiary list at their school. "At this time of the year, when a lot of children are transitioning (to other schools), our database...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is appealing for operators of compactor units to assist in the regular collection of garbage. "The challenge right now is with the regular garbage. That has been proving a little heavy for us, because we have lost quite a few of our compactors," Community Relations Manager, Michael Richards told JIS News. "Up to...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is reporting that clean-up of debris on the main thoroughfares will be completed in another week. Community Relations Manager, Michael Richards, told JIS News that although much progress had been made in the clean-up of the island in the wake of Hurricane Dean, the agency was not yet ready to move into communities....

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry-Wilson, has said that the Ministry will tackle absenteeism this year by re-introducing compulsory education at the primary level. Addressing the nation in a back-to-school broadcast last night (Aug. 30), Mrs. Henry Wilson noted that absenteeism continues to be a challenge for the education system. "All the research shows that there are three (3)...

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) is reporting that up to Thursday (August 30), power has been restored to 88 per cent of its customers. The company is also projecting that by the end of on (August 31), August 31, restoration work should be completed in the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, Portland, St. Mary, St. Catherine and St....

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, has said that the response from corporate Jamaica to the Relief Information Desk set up by the Office to solicit pledges has been " really, really encouraging" with additional companies coming on board since Monday (Aug. 27). "We're close to 16 corporate companies locally that have...

The Ministry of Education and Youth will be spending $1.7 billion on the Cost Sharing Programme for secondary school students during the upcoming school year. Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, in a back to school broadcast to the nation on (August 30), explained that under the programme, parents are required to pay only 50 per cent of...

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, has said that the Government has spent almost $1 billion on the provision of textbooks for primary, secondary and technical high school students for the new school year. Mrs. Henry Wilson, who made this disclosure on (August 30), during a back to school broadcast to the nation, said that the orders for...

Some 500 students from early childhood institutions across St. James have been presented with text books by the newly established Palmyra Foundation, which is based in Rose Hall, St. James. The distribution of the text books was carried out at the St. James Infant School in Montego Bay, on (Aug. 30). Over 15,000 books are to be distributed during the...

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, has said that despite the damage that some 350 schools sustained during Hurricane Dean on August 19, the government is determined to have a smooth start to the 2007/08 academic year. In a back-to-school broadcast, on (Aug. 30), Mrs. Henry Wilson informed that preliminary estimates from the Ministry's regional and technical teams...

All of the island's 24 hospitals are now operational and offering full patient care services, said Director General at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson. Mr. Jackson told JIS News in a recent interview that of the 309 health facilities in the island "210 are offering full service and 56 are offering partial service." A...