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In 1968, nearly a year before it commenced full operations at the Nain plant in St. Elizabeth, Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) donated a sum of $300,000 towards the development of a basic schools' teacher-training programme with the hope that in the long run, the training would benefit students attending institutions in the Essex Valley region of the parish. Over...

Residents of the corporate area are invited to attend the Jamaica Information Service's (JIS) annual Kingston Book Fair, which will be held at the agency's Half-Way-Tree Road head office from October 7 to 8. Patrons attending the fair will be able to purchase a range of publications on Jamaican heritage and culture inclusive of booklets, pamphlets, posters, photographs, audiocassettes, videocassettes...

Vegetable farmers across the island, who were severely impacted by Hurricane Ivan last September, could soon see increased yields, having been provided with drip irrigation systems under the Jamaica Business Recovery Programme. The programme, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), provides assistance for farmers in...

As the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) carries out its mandate to provide 100 per cent access to electricity island wide, the Programme has, since its incorporation in 1975, constructed more than 5,000 kilometres of pole lines and wired some 66,000 households. Chief Engineer of the REP, Samuel Marshall tells JIS News that in the 1970s only some 50 per cent...

Jamaica has been selected to be part of an elite group of countries to spearhead a campaign aimed at uniting the world in eliminating HIV and AIDS among children. A project of the United Nations Children's Fund, the five-year campaign, which will be launched on October 25, is designed to sensitise the global community about the pandemic and how it...

As early as next year, the Justice Training Institute (JTI), which is the training agency of the Ministry of Justice, could join the growing list of tertiary level institutions that are providing international level instruction for Jamaicans. Already, plans are far advanced for the Institute to receive accreditation from the University Council of Jamaica and the National Court Reporting Association...

The Early Stimulation Programme (ESP) in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, and a number of activities have been planned to mark the milestone. Programme Director, Antonica Gunter Gayle, at a recent JIS News Think Tank, outlined the series of events to mark the anniversary, which will be observed from September 28 to...

The Social Development Commission (SDC), through its social empowerment thrust, is working with communities in Portland to help them to access funding for development projects. Among the beneficiary communities so far are Belleview, Windsor and Rock Hall. Viviene Cherrington-Bailey, Acting SDC Parish Manager, explained to JIS News that the communities have been organized into benevolent societies to make representation to...

Critical to the productivity and development of any economy, is the existence of an efficient, affordable and predictable transportation system, said Minister of Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill. The Transport Minister, who was addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, stated that the government was committed to providing such a system for the Jamaican people. Part of the process includes the...

The Ministry of Health is encouraging mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives. Over the years, there has been a decline in breastfeeding for a myriad of reasons, including the cessation of extensive breastfeeding campaigns; mothers, who are young themselves not passing on the importance of breastfeeding to their expectant daughters; and the...

National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips, said yesterday (Sept. 16) that the Ministry was in the final stages of completing the tender process to begin construction of a new maximum-security facility in Jamaica. "Shortly, we expect to take to Cabinet the results of that tender process and I expect in the very near future, we will be able to start...

The Senate on Friday (Sept.16), acting on recommendations by the Court of Appeal to correct "injustices" relating to third parties in motor vehicle accidents, passed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act. Opposition Senator Arthur Williams, who piloted the Bill, said that the Jamaican Court of Appeal had, in its judgments, indicated that the interpretation of Section...