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More than 150 stakeholders will, over the next two days, participate in a country assessment and national prioritisation workshop on the National Development Plan, Vision 2030 Jamaica. The participants include members of the public and private sectors, civil society, academia and the international development community. Slated for the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston from April 11 to 12, the forum...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, is appealing to farmers to step up production levels and for consumers to consume more local produce to cut the food import bill, which is running at approximately US$800 million per annum. He noted that while all food needs cannot be adequately met at current levels of production, studies have shown that...

Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, has announced that some 18,000 public school teachers are to be upgraded over the next two years, through creative and cost-effective means, including in-service interventions. Addressing the opening of St Joseph’s Teachers’ College Symposium 2012, at the college campus in Kingston, the Minister declared that the maintenance of professional standards is a...

Senior Resident Magistrate Vivene Harris was on April 10 sworn in as puisne judge in the Supreme Court at a ceremony held at King’s House. The appointment comes as government continues to put measures in place to improve access to justice for Jamaicans and to advance clearing up of the backlog of cases in the island’s courts. In accepting her...

The 24 People’s National Party (PNP) Councillors of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), who were successful in the March 26 Local Government election, were sworn on April 10, at a ceremony held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The other 14 Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Councillors did not attend the ceremony, and will be sworn in at...

The winning song in this year’s Festival Song Competition should create feelings of joy and patriotism among Jamaicans. The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), with help from the public, will be selecting such a song to celebrate the nation’s 50th Anniversary of Independence under the theme: ‘Jamaica 50: A Nation on a Mission’. Formerly known as the Popular Song Competition,...

Minister with responsibility for Sports in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Natalie Neita-Headley, is encouraging organisations and private individuals to continue supporting education, as this enhances national development. Speaking on April 5 at the launch of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay's 'East Bikeathon 2012', she stressed that education is fundamental to the country’s continued growth, and it...

Climate change issues have taken on added significance, in light of the present and potential impacts on the  economy. Realising the impacts, the Meteorological (MET) Service of Jamaica has embarked on a Climate Change Awareness Campaign, in an effort to educate the public about how to effectively adapt to climate change.   The campaign, which was launched on World MET...

A high percentage of members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) agree that the organisation benefits from strong and effective leadership. This was revealed in a recent survey, which shows that a total of 70.4 per cent of law enforcement officers agree that the leadership of the JCF is doing a good job and has been effective. The results of...

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) has been working through partnerships with schools, communities, churches and corporate organisations, in an effort to promote healthy lifestyles among children, adolescents and adults. As part of its mandate, the Council has the responsibility of implementing innovative programmes that promote and enable the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and resocialisation of individuals affected by drug...

Chief Justice, Hon. Zaila McCalla, says progress is being made in the justice system to clear the backlog of cases, but this is not being properly reported in the media, as oftentimes the figures quoted are not up to date. Speaking at the swearing in ceremony of Mrs. Vivene Harris as a Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court, at King’s...

Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (STEM), Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Government will seek to keep its promise of removing the General Consumption Tax (GCT) on electricity. “The government is about to propose a budget for the new financial year and revenue measures are to be contemplated and decided on at that time. There is a commitment that...