More

The Ministry of Justice has embarked on a series of public consultations to engage communities and citizens for suggestions, that will allow members of the Task Force on Justice Reform to shape recommendations for the way forward. The meetings, which began on March 15, will continue until April 13 throughout the island. To this end, a consultation was recently held...

Efforts to enhance the standard of Early Childhood Education in Jamaica got underway recently with the launch of an islandwide public education campaign, to sensitize all stakeholders in the system about the objectives of the new thrust. With the aim of reaching all parents, teachers and members of school boards in all areas across the country by the end of...

The Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, will be staging a National Day of Remembrance on Sunday, March 25, in honour of the ancestors. The day will be observed with an 'Ancestral Rites Funeral Ceremony' at the Kingston Harbour at 3:00 p.m. This is part of activities to mark the 200th anniversary...

Jamaican pilot, Barrington Irving, will embark on a five-week solo world mission when he takes off on March 23 from the Opa-Locka Airport in South Florida. Irving, a 23 year-old Senior majoring in aerospace at Florida Memorial University, will use his single engine plane called Inspiration, to do the historic mission around the world, as the first black and the...

Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Student Assessment Unit of the Ministry of Education and Youth, Sephlin Myers-Thomas has expressed confidence that there will be no delays in the distribution of results for the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) this year. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank, today (March 21) Mrs. Myers-Thomas said that the Ministry did not foresee any...

The National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) will be hosting six regional conferences, the first of which will be held on March 31, at Campion College in Kingston. These conferences will be focusing on issues, such as conflict resolution, parenting and training, in operating an effective Parent Teacher Association (PTA). In an interview with JIS News, Sylvester Anderson, President of the...

On Thursday, April 5, the St. Elizabeth Health Department will be staging a health walk from Top Hill to Yardley Chase Road in the South East section of the parish. This is being done to encourage persons to get involved in a programme of physical exercise for personal well-being. Speaking to JIS News, Health Educator with the department, Delphine Grandison...

Minister of Health, Hon. Horace Dalley has urged family members and the society as a whole, to be more vigilant and responsive to persons with signs of mental illness. Mr. Dalley, who was addressing the official launch of the Ministry's Mental Health Education promotion programme, at the Terra Nova Hotel today (March 21), stressed that the message must be spread,...

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) in collaboration with the Enhancement of Basic Schools Project (EBSP) has embarked on a programme to sensitize operators of early childhood institutions about the Early Childhood Act and its regulations. Some 70 education officers in the early childhood sector were trained to help stakeholders within their regions to better understand the new requirements and assist...

Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Earl Wright has emphasized that persons should be aware of mental disorders and how they can influence a child's development. He pointed out that this was very important, as the brain drives behaviours and will therefore influence how children behave and learn, in the future. Dr. Wright...

With all eyes focused on the Caribbean during the current ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC), the positive spin-offs of the tournament are being experienced across all sectors, particularly tourism. But upgrading the tourism product did not just begin with preparations for the CWC, as the Jamaican Government has, for more than a decade, placed much emphasis on the sector, by...

The House of Representatives yesterday (March 20), approved a Resolution allowing the government a sum of $51.6 billion to carry on its business for a period of four months, from April 1 to July 31. Moving the resolution, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies informed that this sum comprised $43.87 billion for recurrent expenditure and $7.73 billion for...