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Blue Cross of Jamaica has awarded 27 scholarships to students who have excelled in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). The total cost for this year's scholarships is valued at more than $1.8 million. Every year, Blue Cross of Jamaica awards scholarships to the children of public and private sector subscribers who have excelled in the GSAT examinations. Last year's...

Hundreds of children from Flankers and adjoining communities in St. James are expected to participate in the annual Sandals Montego Bay/Flankers Citizens' Association Reading Fair, scheduled to be held at the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre on August 31. The event, which has been dubbed 'Readathon 2006', will be staged under the theme, 'Increasing knowledge through reading'. It is aimed...

With the new school year slated to get underway as early as next week for some schools, Information and Development Minister, Senator Colin Campbell has disclosed that Cabinet has approved a number of contracts under the government's School Feeding and National Textbook Programmes. He pointed out that both T. Geddes Grant and GraceKennedy and Company Limited have been awarded contracts...

Cabinet yesterday (August 21), examined the preliminary report it received from Canadian consultants investigating the possible reasons that plunged the island into a widespread blackout last month, Information and Development Minister, Senator Colin Campbell has said. Addressing journalists at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, the Minister said based on five observation findings and concerns identified in the...

Transshipment activities at the island's ports of entry increased for the period January to March 2006, with 4,937,748 tonnes of cargo handled compared to 4,698,768 during the corresponding period in 2005. As contained in the Planning Institute of Jamaica's (PIOJ) Economic Update and Outlook, the higher volume may be attributed to increased activities at the Port of Kingston and the...

Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, Aloun Ndombet Assamba, has stressed the importance of viewing the Jamaican cultural heritage as an investment, which has economic benefit for the country. "In the current dispensation, we are learning to accept the fact that one can 'eat a food' out of the arts.but of course we need to delve more deeply into how...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Senator Kern Spencer has said that Jamaicans needed to explore all the available opportunities within the micro and small business sector, as this area is at the heart of economic growth. The State Minister, who was speaking today (August 22), at a luncheon of the Rotary Club of...

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) at the Admiral Town Police Station in Southern St. Andrew, are currently hosting a summer programme for students from the surrounding areas. This initiative is part of efforts by the members to foster closer ties with the community. Programme Co-ordinator, Inspector Joan Benjamin, told JIS News that the objectives of the two-week summer...

The National Youth Service (NYS) office in Montego Bay has extended its Summer Employment Programme for the parish of St. James, to facilitate some 41 students from the inner-city community of Norwood. Regional Corporate Services Officer of the NYS for St. James and Hanover, Omar Steer, has said that normally, the summer employment programme would be closing at this time...

The Ministry of Education and Youth has earmarked approximately $200 million to undertake critical repairs to schools across the island for the new academic year come September. Acting Director of Project Management and Technical Services in the Ministry, Lauriston Wilson, told a recent JIS Think Tank that 84 schools have been identified by the regional offices as needing critical repairs...

Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Early Childhood Unit of the Ministry of Education and Youth, Evadne Vennor, is encouraging practitioners to become trained in the levels one and two competencies in the Early Childhood Care and Development programme, which is being offered through the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET). "Training is integral to the...

Come September, it is expected that some 70,000 tonnes of cement will be imported into the island. This is a significant increase over the 7,400 tonnes imported so far in August. At a joint meeting at the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce (MITEC) today (August 21), representatives from the Ministry, the Incorporated Master Builders Association, the Hardware Merchants...