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Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, says the Ministry hopes to advance the cause of special education for the next three to four years, despite the limited resources. “We spend only three per cent of the education budget on Early Childhood and Special Education. This year we are going to raise that percentage to close to five per...

Thousands of tablet computers are to be distributed to students and teachers from 30 institutions across the island, under a pilot programme starting in September. This was disclosed by Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, during his contribution to the 2013/14 Budget Debate on Thursday, April 24m in Gordon House. “We will begin E-Learning II, with...

The Government, during this fiscal year, will be increasing the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the education sector, as part of efforts to bridge the digital divide and enhance knowledge. This was disclosed by Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, during the opening of an ‘ICT in Education’ capacity building workshop on Monday, April 22,...

MONTEGO  BAY - Teachers have been challenged to influence their students for good, and to practise the principles they have learnt with respect to planning, preparation and execution of their daily duties in the school and community. The charge  was given  by Acting Principal of the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College, Dr. Michele Pinnock, as she addressed 282  graduates of the...

Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, has commended the "extraordinary voluntarism" of the country's school board members, noting that they give freely of their time and effort to support principals, teachers and students. "The school boards are the eyes and ears of the Ministry of Education; they are our delegates in the particular school. They are the unsung...

It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Education that some public schools at the primary level have been administering screening examinations to students before they can be considered for admission to school.  It is reported that schools are charging as much as $8,000 for these screening examinations. Subject to the provisions of the Regulation Act 1980, Section...

Residents of Sawyers in Trelawny are hailing the upgrading work done on the community’s primary school by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). The project, undertaken at a cost of $21 million, included construction of a new sanitation block and reading room, erection of perimeter fencing, provision of water tanks, and an industrial stove and freezer for the canteen. Clevy...

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, has called on primary school principals to desist from administering tests to grade one students as a criterion for entering their institutions, and rejecting those who fail. “We are receiving reports of many principals…giving tests to students, who apply to grade one and in some cases they are rejecting them even if they...

Students and teachers of the Freeman’s Hall Primary and Infant School in Trelawny are now enjoying more comfortable surroundings, following extensive upgrading of the institution by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) at a cost of over $31 million. The scope of work, which was undertaken through contribution from the community, included construction and partition of classrooms, installation of new...

Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, has urged school administrators to use the reports from the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) as a guide to improving their institutions. “We have a tool in the education system now which we are not using adequately. In the transformation process, the National Education Inspectorate has been providing inspection reports on a majority...

Thousands of students from 40 primary schools in western Jamaica are to benefit from the I-PLEDGE Programme, launched by GraceKennedy (Western Union), on April 10, at the John Rollins Success Primary School, in St. James. Under the I-PLEDGE Programme (I Promise to Lend Encouragement to Develop Growth in Education), the schools will be provided with special reading materials, and will...

The Sawyers Primary School in Trelawny has been upgraded at a cost $21 million by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), with inputs from the community. Work done at the institution included construction of a new sanitation block to house four units for girls, and three for boys; renovation of the existing school building; changing of the roof; and installation...