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Education Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, says the Government is looking to make physical education (PE) mandatory for all school-aged children, in an effort to further encourage health and wellness in schools. Rev. Thwaites said this will ensure that physical education is no longer “an optional extra, but a necessary part of the school experience."  "By the end of...

Education Minister, Rev. Hon. Ronald Thwaites, is warning persons involved in providing fake educational credentials to immediately desist. Minister Thwaites' warning follows a recent news report that Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) passes and fake degrees were being sold by persons engaged in an illegal operation. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, the Education Minister said persons involved in this...

Schools in western Jamaica reopened their doors on September 3 as the 2012/2013 academic year got underway. Some students faced transportation delays, due to a road block along the Irwin/Sign main road, mounted by residents protesting water shortage in the area. However, the blockage was quickly cleared by the police, allowing for free movement of traffic. Acting Regional Director of...

Regional Director of Region 3 in the Ministry of Education, Maxine Headlam, has reported that the 120 public schools in Trelawny and St. Ann had a smooth start to the new school year on September 3. "We got off to a good start this morning. We did not have much issue that could have prevented schools from starting, so all...

The Golden Spring Primary School in rural St. Andrew opened its new academic year on September 3 with a special ceremony to mark its 25th anniversary under the theme: 'Promoting The Past To Enhance The Future'. At the function held at the Temple Hall New Testament Church of God, 10 members of staff were honoured for their long and dedicated...

Some 65 pupils from primary schools island-wide, who were successful in this year's Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), have received scholarships and awards valued at over $600,000 under the National People’s Cooperative Bank of Jamaica’s (NPCBJ) inaugural GSAT Scholarship Programme. The awards, which were made during a special luncheon at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, Manchester on Thursday (August...

Jamaicans are welcoming the decision by the Government to reintroduce civics to the school curriculum, noting that it will help instil national pride and contribute to nation building. The subject, which educates students about their rights, duties, and responsibilities as citizens, the structure and functions of government, the significance of national symbols and emblems, among other things, will be reinstated...

At least three new early childhood institutions, which are at various stages of construction, are to be completed by the end of September. The structures are being built as part of Food for the Poor’s (FFP) Jamaica 50 Campaign, which entails the construction and refurbishing of 50 of the island’s basic schools, over a 50-month period. The three schools –...

The Jew Pen Basic School in Bog Walk, St. Catherine will have a permanent home soon, following the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a new facility to house the institution on August 29. The school is the third of 50 early childhood education institutions that will be built by Food For The Poor in this Jamaica's Jubilee year....

Hundreds of children from Lilliput and surrounding communities in St. James on August 29 benefited from free medical checks, which are required for the start of school on September 3. At a health and information fair held on the grounds of the Lilliput New Testament Church of God, the children, some of whom will be attending school for the first...

Economics Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Collin Bullock, says there are certain achievements which the Government can build on, and areas that need to be improved, in order to stimulate growth in the economy. "We have got to continue the improvements which are being shown in terms of the reduction in major crimes. We’ve got...

An additional $230 million has been allocated to the nutritional support initiative this academic year to benefit students under the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). Director of the School Feeding Programme in the Ministry of Education, Helen Robertson, told a recent JIS Think Tank, that the additional amount will provide for an increase in the daily allocation...