A World Bank study shows that Jamaica’s expenditure on education, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) and budget, compares favourably with the ratio for several other regional countries and is within the international norm. Education, Youth and Information Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, who made the disclosure, noted that Government expenditure, on a per-student basis, “is comparable to the...

The Westmoreland office of the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) is targeting young people and families as it works to address substance abuse in the parish. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Substance Abuse Officer for Westmoreland, Henry Hill, said that on average, 50 per cent of the NCDA’s clients are under 30 years old, 20 per cent...

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be launching a 211 helpline for use by children at risk of abuse or persons who wish to make a report. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure while making her contribution to the 2021/2022 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 28. She said that the move follows approval...

The Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited (CariCRIS) officially opened its Jamaican office, during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday (April 28). The  office is the first to be established anywhere in the region outside the Trinidad and Tobago capital, Port-of-Spain, where the CariCRIS is headquartered, and comes 15 years after the firm commenced business relations with local clients. It...

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, is calling on records and information management (RIM) practitioners to recommend systems that will maintain the integrity of the records in their custody from creation to disposition. Minister Williams gave the charge as she addressed the opening of the Jamaica Archives and Records Department’s second virtual RIM symposium on Wednesday (April 28)....

The Jericho to Claremont roadway, located in western Hanover, is now receiving a major upgrade, through an $11 million dollar road improvement project; being administered by the National Works Agency (NWA). Community Relations Officer for the NWA’s Western Region, Janel Ricketts, says that the project targets the 2.7 kilometre stretch of roadway between the Jericho Square and the Claremont All...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Karl Samuda, says there has been a positive financial turnaround in the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). Making his contribution to the 2021/2022 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives  on April 27, Mr. Samuda  said the NIS took a jump of $476.2 million as at February 28, 2021, moving from a negative $245.06...