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A total of 12 projects have so far been registered with the Portland Labour Day Committee for Labour Day on May 23. The activities, which include the building of bus sheds, painting of schools, paving of roads and construction of play areas, are in addition to the parish project, which is the cleaning and beautification of public cemeteries in Port...

As part of activities for Labour Day 2007, representatives of the Registrar General's Department (RGD) will be at the Bath Botanical Gardens in St. Thomas, the venue for the national project, to provide persons with the opportunity to apply for copies of birth, death and marriage certificates. Speaking with JIS News, Marketing and Planning Manager of the RGD, Nicole Robinson,...

The 10 finalists in the 2007 Jamaica Popular Song Competition were presented to the public at the launch of the competition and album, at the Asylum Night Club in New Kingston on May 17. Chairman of the Jamaica Popular Song Steering Committee, Junior Lincoln noted that the competition "has afforded Jamaican singers, songwriters and producers the opportunity to develop and...

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) is to spend $24 million to upgrade the water supply system serving the communities of Shotover, Ranch Hill and Stony Hill in Portland. An agreement for the project was signed by JSIF and the Benevolent Society representing the communities, in the district of Norwich in Portland on Wednesday, May 15. Under the agreement, the...

The Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank has announced that it has received an initial advance of funds from the National Insurance Fund (NIF), under the loan scheme geared towards small and medium size enterprises for working capital and fixed asset purchases. The bank will therefore now begin to accept loan applications from eligible borrowers under the NIF loan scheme. Eligible borrowers must...

The board of governors of 24 schools within the Ministry of Education and Youth regions four and five were recently recognized for outstanding work, by the National Council on Education (NCE). At the School Management Awards Ceremony held at the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, 15 school boards from region four, which comprises the parishes of St. James, Hanover...

The Registrar General's Department (RGD) is stepping up its public education campaign this month (May), which is observed as Child Month, to inform Jamaicans of the importance of birth registration. Throughout the month, representatives of the RGD's Mobile Outreach Team will make a number of stops at several schools and health centres across the island. So far, the outreach team...

Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, Aloun N'Dombet Assamba, has said that the government welcomes the initiative by the United States-based Recycling Inspiration (RI) to assist in training young Jamaicans for jobs in the tourism industry. "Tourism is very important to Jamaica. It is one of the largest industries in the country, directly employing over 70, 000 individuals and another...

Executive Director of the Education Transformation Team (ETT), Dr. Frank Weeple, has said that advertisements for appointments to the new education regional authorities should be out in a matter of weeks, with the aim of making the necessary appointments by the beginning of August. The establishment of regional authorities is part of plans to decentralize the operational side of the...

Residents of St. Catherine are gearing up to clean and beautify their communities on Labour Day, May 23, with 45 projects registered so far with the parish's Labour Day Secretariat. "Based on the feedback we are getting from the civic community meetings, people are just rearing to go on Labour Day," said Administrator at the St. Catherine Parish Council, Shirleen...

Caribbean tourism ministers traveling to New York for Caribbean Week 2007 from June 9-17 will get the chance to interact with New York-based nationals, at two town hall meetings being organized by the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC). The meetings will be held simultaneously in Brooklyn and the Bronx on Monday, June 11, from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. The...

Minister of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Phillip Paulwell, has said that the liberalization of Jamaica's telecommunications industry and the opening of the market to competition, have led to billions of dollars being invested in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. This development, he noted has enabled increased access to fixed and mobile telephones, computers, the Internet, and other...