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Legislation to create the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) has been drafted, and is awaiting the finalisation policy direction. Education Minister, Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure at Tuesday's (July 22) Post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House. "The law will give it a legal personality, but it has to have policy direction. I don't want to go forward with...

The Government is aiming to achieve 100 per cent literacy in all primary schools by 2015. Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, making his contribution to the 2009/10 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 21), said that the goal is based on the educable population at Grade 6, with support to be provided for those with...

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, says his ministry is making efforts to eliminate the jostling for high school places, which has characterised the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) each year. He said this speaks directly to the need for students to be fully literate by the time they enter Grade Six, as well as the need to build schools...

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, says that for the first time in Jamaica, national targets for literacy are to be set for primary schools. "Every primary school principal, before the beginning of each school year, will be set a target for performance in literacy," Mr. Holness told the House of Representatives Tuesday (July 21). "The targets may be adjusted...

High school graduates of Jamaican heritage in Ontario, Canada, have been lauded by the Alliance of Jamaican Alumni Associations (AJAA) for their commitment to furthering their education. President of the AJAA, Alene Miller-Chen, told the graduates that the AJAA is encouraging them on their path to higher education, as they are tomorrow's leaders. Ms. Miller-Chen was speaking recently at the...

The Editor of the Oxford University Press has issued a letter of apology to the people of Jamaica, in relation to the meaning and definition that is now posted in the Concise Oxford Dictionary for the word 'Maroon'. Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Mike Henry, a historian and publisher, says that he is in receipt of the letter from...

Member of Parliament for East Central St. Andrew, Dr. Peter Phillips, is recommending that the Government revisit the incentive programme in order to encourage private and community interests including the church, to establish and operate schools. "This might seem to be running counter to the general recognition of the limitation of funds (but) what we need to do is to...

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is an institution, of which the Caribbean can feel proud, Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Jasper Lawrence, said today (July 16). "The CXC has helped to leapfrog the Caribbean Community from external examination bodies, for setting the standards for secondary education and for measuring the outcomes of secondary education," he said. Mr....

The University of Technology (UTech) has expanded its outreach in western Jamaica, officially opening its Faculty of Business and Management in Montego Bay on Friday July 10. The facility, located at 2 Kent Avenue, will offer a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in business administration, hospitality and tourism management, computer and information technology, pharmacy, and architectural studies; and a...

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, has cautioned schools that they cannot treat the possession of offensive weapons by students as minor infractions. "Crime affects education as it affects the general society. The policy directive that I have given so far is that whatever is illegal in the society, is illegal in the school. So the schools cannot continue to...

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, has appealed to more developed nations to enter into a debt for nature swap agreement with developing countries. Mr. Holness said that this debt swap would be mutually beneficial, in protecting and preserving the environment for future generations. "Debt is a major problem for the developing world, and debt limits the ability of the...

Ambassador to the United States, Anthony Johnson, has lauded Dr. Alfred Sangster as an outstanding educator, whom Jamaica owes "a tremendous debt of gratitude." "There is no doubt that your teaching has impacted many lives. On behalf of the Government of Jamaica, I salute you," he stated. Ambassador Johnson was delivering the keynote address at the 5th Anniversary Gala of...