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The Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has embarked on a strategic reform process, which is aimed at restructuring the education sector. The transformation involves various groups who participate in a series of roundtables to get consensus around a shared vision for education, which should result in action. Key stakeholders to participate in the roundtables include the Minister, Minister of...

The Mines and Geology Division in the Ministry of Land and Environment and the Department of Geography and Geology, University of the West Indies (UWI), are currently undertaking an assessment of the nation's supply and demand for sand and gravel, to prevent over extraction in the sector. The study, which is being done under the Sedimentary Basin Resource Assessment Project...

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) has built a new school building for some 120 students at the Mt. Pelier Basic School in Eastern Hanover. Constructed at a cost of $4.7 million, the new facility was officially opened on Wednesday (March 10). The building consists of two classrooms, restrooms for teachers and students, a sick bay and a kitchen area....

Work done by five year-old Jamaican born Tristan Taylor has been included in the Jubilee Books Children's Writing Anthology 2004. Tristan's work, which is in the 'How I help at Home and at School' section of the anthology, tells how he helps other children in his classroom to tie their laces and is accompanied by his drawings. Tristan attends Childric...

A Bill titled the 'Child Care and Protection Act 2003', which seeks to protect the nation's children from abuse and neglect by imposing stiff fines for breaches of the Act, was passed in the Senate on Thursday (March 11) with four amendments. Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator A.J. Nicholson who piloted the Bill said that the legislation was...

Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Burchell Whiteman, has said that the government was moving to provide increased training to staff responsible for classification and payment of teachers to prevent any recurrence of overpayment to the island's teachers. He said the government would also be reminding schools and regions of the consequences of submitting late information and enlisting the...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant has expressed the view that Jamaican farmers should be able to generate more produce on a larger scale when the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) comes on stream in 2005. Speaking recently to JIS News, the JAS President said farmers in Jamaica stand to benefit from the introduction of...

Overall, in 2002, the population was better off than it was 14 years ago and there has been a shift in consumer choice of health care facilities, with more persons using public health care facilities, the recently published Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2002 (SLC), has reported. The SLC, which is a joint publication of the Planning Institute of Jamaica...

A series of symposia will be held across the island to address issues on consumer rights, and in particular, those concerns relating to potable water. The series is part of a week of activities planned to observe World Consumer Rights Day on March 15 by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC). Events will take place from March 14 to 20 and...

The last three Youth Opportunity Fairs will be held this month. Hosted by the National Youth Service (NYS), this islandwide initiative continues to expose unemployed young people to the varying career opportunities and entrepreneurial possibilities available in their respective parishes. Scheduled for Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and Manchester on March 15, 19 and 25, respectively, the fairs will...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has stated that the partners in the bauxite and alumina sector must be prepared to do everything to ensure the successful implementation of the expansion planned by ALOCA at the JAMALCO plant in Clarendon. "We must ensure a successful implementation of the project in the context of fairness between all the stakeholders, safety and good environmental...

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will be hosting a Regional Designers Workshop on Tuesday, March 16, at the Ridgemount United Church Hall in Mandeville starting at 9:00 a.m. The workshop will cater primarily to designers, dressmakers, tailors and clothing and textile students from the central region of Jamaica including the parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth. "We want...