The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has introduced targeted intervention strategies to safeguard the mental health and well-being of students, staff, and parents, in response to the growing emotional demands on the education system. According to a Ministry communiqué, schools have been directed to immediately implement structured, school-wide activities designed to address psycho-emotional conflicts and foster resilience. These...

Two clinical trials are in development as the University of the West Indies (UWI) advances cell line research to better understand and treat cancers within the Caribbean region. Dr. Simone Badal, who is leading the groundbreaking cell line development programme, said that early findings indicate differences in how patients of African descent respond to certain anti-cancer drugs compared to other...

This May, the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland will host 17 students from the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) Technical Institute in Trinidad and Tobago. The short term visit is part of a study abroad agreement signed on April 23, under an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), during the NESC Technical Institute’s inaugural Technical and Vocational...

The Sam Sharpe Diagnostic and Early Intervention Centre in St James is reporting a significant increase in autism testing referrals, driven by heightened awareness among parents, paediatricians and educators. In an interview with JIS News, Acting Manager at the Centre, Joshcia Lawrence-Brown, said that more parents are seeking assessments after observing delays in their children’s early development, particularly in speech...

Black River High School in St. Elizabeth has put measures in place to ensure that students can sit their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations on campus, despite significant damage caused by Hurricane Melissa last October. Principal, Christopher Romans, told JIS News that alternative arrangements have been made following the loss of the school’s auditorium, which previously served as the...

The Sam Sharpe Diagnostic and Early Intervention Centre is to host a webinar on Wednesday, April 29, aimed at equipping parents with strategies to manage autistic behaviours in children. Intermediate Behaviour Trainer, Lori-Ann Bingham, will lead discussions on behaviour management, while resident Clinical Psychologist, Kyle Schloss, will present on high-functioning autism. The theme being observed is ‘Cracking the Code: Managing...

Regional Health Promotion and Education Officer at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Marceleen Wheatle, has emphasised that embedding regular physical activity in schools is critical to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Jamaica’s population. She explains that initiatives such as National School Moves Day are designed to instill healthy habits from an early age, noting that behaviours...