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The Coalition of Better Parenting (CBP), through its various agencies and organisations, is working tirelessly to improve parenting practises in Jamaica. This is in recognition of the important role that parents play in the development of their children.   Co-ordinator of the CBP, Doret Crawford, told JIS News that the umbrella body works through its network of some 40 agencies...

The Maldon Baptist Basic School in St. James has received a well-needed facelift through the efforts of the Social Development Commission (SDC). Members of the organisation and community members came together on November 13 to clean the school grounds, and replace and paint damaged ceilings throughout the property. A cupboard was also built and installed in the kitchen. The refurbishing...

Education Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites has reiterated the call for parents to place greater emphasis on the nutritional needs of their children. Speaking at the Kiwanis Club of Eastern St. Andrew’s family night activities held at the Altamont Court hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday (November 13), Mr. Thwaites said data shows that over 30 per cent of...

Students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI) can now access electronic medical texts at a fraction of the cost for the printed material, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The move has been facilitated through partnership between the Mona campus and local technology company, JL Mobile, makers of the...

The Sunderland All-age School in St. James is still basking in the glory of being crowned Outstanding Youth Innovator for 2012. The group of students and teachers journeyed to Kingston from rural St. James on Friday (November 9), with fingers crossed, hoping that their invention, Sunderland Quick Patch, would win one of two major prizes in The Minister’s Innovation Awards...

Minister of Education, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites, has called for a renewal of the culture of good parenting, where children can benefit from the care and attention of both mother and father. “Being a good parent is the most important thing that any person can do, because the parent, along with the teacher, becomes a creator with Almighty God, in...

Several schools located downtown Kingston have received school supplies courtesy of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). The institutions also benefitted from textbook donations from Project Educate to enhance their libraries. Speaking at the handing over at the UDC’s ‘Schools in Extravaganza’ held on November 9 at Orange Park, Kingston Mall,  Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment,...

The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) has intensified its initiatives aimed at preventing drug use initiation among Jamaican youth, through implementation of a Resistance Education Against Drugs (READ) programme. The yearlong initiative will target 500 children, aged five to seven years, and is slated to be implemented in some 25 schools island-wide through grant funding of $5.2 million from...

Education Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, has hinted at a possible review of the provisions of Jamaica’s Education Code of Regulations, commencing next year. The code outlines a series of procedures, which must be followed for disciplinary procedures, addressing issues such as natural justice, and the right of representation and appeal, for the process to be completed. Speaking at...

Education Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, says progress has been made in discussions between the Ministry and the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) on the proposed Jamaica Teaching Council Bill. The Bill, which the Minister is working to have tabled in the House of Representatives during the current 2012/13 parliamentary year, seeks to provide for the establishment of a governing...

Education Minister, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, has underscored the critical need for Jamaican students to be fluent in English Language, noting that this is critical for the country’s progress. He said that the English is the language of professionalism, scientific discovery, and commerce, and the Ministry in promoting literacy in the language. “There can absolutely be no compromise about this,...

Approximately 195 young people from four inner-city communities have successfully completed a one-year training programme conducted by Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), which has empowered them with skills to acquire jobs and become ambassadors for their communities. There were broad smiles and cheers all around as the participants proudly walked up to collect their certificates of achievement at the closing ceremony...