The Government provides public access to education for approximately 763,798 students or 71 per cent of the school age cohort (3-24). Of this total, 613,136 students are enrolled across 3,000 pre-primary, 995 primary and preparatory schools and 180 high schools, both public and private. This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, while...

The General Consumption Tax (GCT) Regulations, enabling several entities to file a single tax return, were approved by the Senate on Friday (January 20). This followed endorsement of the Regulations Committee’s report regarding the GCT (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2015, under the GCT Act. Minister of  Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, in presenting the report to the...

Students and staff at the Majesty Gardens Infant School in Kingston have been provided with renovated bathroom facilities, thanks to the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation. The Foundation granted $450,000 on the submission and approval of a proposal from the school requesting help. The money was used to retile the bathrooms, install new toilets and urinals for the students and...

The second in the series of capacity-building courses under the Upskilling and Retooling Jamaica Initiative, gets under way on Monday (January 23) at HEART Trust/NTA locations and other tertiary institutions across the island. The programme, which focuses on technical skills and leadership training, involves collaboration between the Joint Committee for Tertiary Education (JCTE) and the HEART Trust/NTA. Among the areas...

The Early Childhood Commission (ECC) is reporting that it received $20 million in 2016 to help with efforts to develop early-childhood institutions (ECIs) that are in need. This amount was donated by stakeholders and partners, such as the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, the New York-based Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations; West Portland Member of Parliament, Hon....

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be hosting a Special-Education Regional Round Table from January 24-26 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston. The conference will be held under the theme ‘Preparing Productive Citizens for an Inclusive Society: The Benefits of the Collaborative Process’. It will target educational leaders and policymakers throughout the region, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)....

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (January 10), started debate on legislation to give the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) university status. The Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) Bill 2016 was piloted by Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Mike Henry. It will repeal the Caribbean Maritime Institute Act under which the institution operates. Mr. Henry said the legislation provides an opportunity...