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Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Hon Derrick Kellier (right) is assisted by Minister of Education, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (2nd left) as he cuts the ribbon to officially open the Falmouth Infant School Library on Friday May 15. Also participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony are Chairman of the Jamaica Library Service, Paul Lalor (left) and students of the school. The facility was provided for under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Sugar Transformation Programme which is being implemented throughout the sugar dependent communities of Jamaica.

Residents of Trelawny to Benefit From Two New Libraries

Residents of two towns in the parish of Trelawny are now enjoying new library facilities valued at $26.8 million from funds acquired under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’, Sugar Transformation Programme (STP). The Falmouth Infant School Library ($8.8 million)...

Member of Parliament for North East St. Elizabeth, Mr. Raymond Pryce (centre), interacts with students of the Balaclava High School, in St. Elizabeth, during a ground breaking ceremony for eight new classrooms, on Thursday, May 14.

MP Welcomes Project to Construct New Classrooms at Balaclava High

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (2nd left), with (from left), Ms. Claudia Uribe, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Education Specialist in Jamaica; Member of Parliament for North East St. Elizabeth, Mr. Raymond Pryce; Principal of Balaclava High School, Mrs. Paula Miller Foster, and Chairman of the School Board, Mr. Ian Maxwell, at a ground breaking ceremony at the school in St. Elizabeth, on May 14. Eight new classrooms will be built at a cost of $40 million, to be provided through a loan from the IDB.

The Best Gift Is A Good Education – Rev. Thwaites

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (fourth right) and Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (fifth right), break ground for the construction of eight new classrooms at the Balaclava High School in St. Elizabeth, on May 14. Others (from left) are: Mayor of Black River, Councillor Everton Fisher; Chairman of the Balaclava High School Board, Mr. Ian Maxwell; Member of Parliament for North East St. Elizabeth, Mr. Raymond Pryce; the IDB’s Education Specialist in Jamaica, Ms. Claudia Uribe; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Elaine Foster Allen; Mrs. Sonia Clarke, widow of the late Minister of Agriculture and former member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Roger Clarke and Principal of the Balaclava High School, Mrs. Paula Miller Foster.

Prime Minister Breaks Ground for New Classrooms at Balaclava High

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (centre), having a light conversation with the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Curacao, Hon. Irene Dick (left), at the 2nd International Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean, at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and Spa, on May 13. Sharing the moment is University of the West Indies Lecturer and Programme Chairman, Dr. Carole Powell. The three-day conference which closes on May 15, is being attended by more than 300 Educators and legislators from CARICOM member nations, Canada and the United States as well as representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Vocational Education (UNESCO-UNEVOC).

Education Minister Emphasises Importance of TVET

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites addresses the 2nd International Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean, at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and Spa, on May 13. In his address, Minister Thwaites commended Caribbean Educators and legislators for the progress made to standardise vocational education, and the impact this is having on Human Capital Development and Economic Competitiveness in the region.

11 years ago Education

Education Minister Emphasises Importance of TVET

Caribbean Educators and legislators have been commended for the progress made to standardise vocational education, and the impact this is having on human capital development and economic competitiveness in the region. Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, in his address at the 2nd International Conference on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean, at the Hilton Rose...

11 years ago Education

More Emphasis on Technical Vocational Education and Training

The days when Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), was limited to only Technical High Schools and New Secondary High Schools are over. The University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Education, along with other tertiary institutions, is supporting the drive by the Ministry of Education to mainstream TVET in the general education system. The TVET policy that is...

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Roland Thwaites, addresses a ceremony to officially open the St. John’s Infant School Library in Darliston, Westmoreland on Friday, May 8.

11 years ago Education

Early Childhood Budget Increases

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, says the Government continues to increase its investment in early childhood education, with the allocation to the sector increasing to 14 per cent this fiscal year. The Education Minister, who was opening a library at the St. John’s Infant School in Westmoreland on May 8, said the budgetary increase is in recognition of “how...

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, underscores a point while speaking at Monday’s (May 11) signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Youth Service (NYS) and Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), for implementation of ‘Movements’, which will see the NYS awarding art fellowships for work aimed at raising awareness about persons with disabilities. The signing took place at the college’s Arthur Wint Drive campus in St. Andrew. Listening keenly is Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna.

11 years ago CultureEducation

NYS and Edna Manley Partner to Raise Awareness About Persons With Disabilities

The National Youth Service (NYS) has partnered with the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA) on a unique project, which aims to use the visual arts to heighten public awareness about persons with disabilities in Jamaica. Dubbed ‘Movements’, the initiative will see the NYS awarding six art fellowships totalling $9 million to graduates of Edna Manley,...

Agriculture, Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier (fourth left), cuts the ribbon to officially open the library at the St. John’s Infant School in Darliston, Westmoreland, on May 8. Joining Minister Kellier for the occasion are Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (third right); Custos of Westmoreland, Rev. Cannon Hartley Perrin (right); Member of Parliament for Eastern Westmoreland and Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Hon. Luther Buchanan (second left) and members of the Sugar Transformation Unit and the Jamaica Library Service.

11 years ago Education

Libraries Open at Two Infant Schools in Westmoreland

Two school libraries were opened in Westmoreland on May 8 by Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites and Agriculture, Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier. The libraries were opened at the Savanna-la-Mar Infant School, where $11 million was spent on the project; and the St. John’s Infant School, which was built and equipped at a cost of just...

11 years ago Education

7,602 Students Sat Placement Exams Today

A total of 7,602 students attending all-age, primary and junior high schools sat examinations today (May 8) for placement in secondary institutions. The number comprises 5,014 students, who sat the Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT), and, 2,588 students involved in the Alternative Secondary Transition Education Programme (ASTEP). GNAT was administered in 132 centres across the island and students were tested...

11 years ago EducationForeign AffairsJamaican Diaspora

Over 500 Youth to Attend USAID-Sponsored Diaspora Summer Camps

Over 500 young Jamaicans are slated to attend a series of four-week educational summer camps, this year, being sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at a cost of approximately $28.95 million (US$250,000). Dubbed ‘Summer Camp Plus’, the engagements, which will be hosted by the Diaspora Education Taskforce, are scheduled for July 6 to August 5 at...