The teaching of numeracy and literacy is to be advanced in a number of schools across the island, following a $40-million project sponsored by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). With funds provided under the Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP), supported by a loan from the World Bank, the project seeks to improve educational outcomes and the physical environment of...

The Special Education Policy, once approved and implemented, will make it mandatory for teachers serving students with special needs to be adequately trained and certified. The policy, drafted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Special Education Unit, is currently before Cabinet. It will complement the Disabilities Act, which makes provision to safeguard and enhance the welfare of persons...

Outgoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative, Dr. Constant Lonkeng Ngouana, says his three-year tenure in Jamaica has been “very rewarding”. Dr. Lonkeng Ngouana, whose stint ends on August 31, took up the Resident Representative post in July 2016 at the time of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and continued through the current precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). He tells JIS...

Several stakeholders have welcomed the impending implementation of the Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme by the Government. The initiative, being piloted by the Ministry of Tourism, is a defined contributory plan supported by legislation, and will require mandatory contributions by workers and employers. It will cover all workers, aged 18 to 59, whether permanent, contract or self-employed. Benefits will be payable...

Work is advancing under the project being implemented by Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) to further build out the country’s Global Services Sector (GSS). The five-year Skills Development for Global Services Project is focused on upskilling and preparing persons working in the sector, more commonly associated with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) activities, for higher-end jobs in areas such as Information Technology...

As Jamaicans continue to witness the adverse effects of climate change, the Water Resources Authority (WRA) has assured that the updated National Water Plan will consider the current impact of climate change on the nation’s water resources. “We would like to report that in regard to the Master Plan study that is being done, we are taking into consideration the...

Long considered volatile and prone to violence, the inner-city community of Salt Spring, in St. James, is starting to show glimpses of a future that residents say will assist in restoring Montego Bay’s status. They point to what they see as a flurry of social intervention programmes and also a genuine attempt by persons living overseas and here in Jamaica...

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has been significant throughout the past 15 years, playing an integral role in driving the innovation and development of the local tourism sector, and enriching the lives of Jamaican citizens through key community projects. This particularly holds true in the tourism capital of Montego Bay and the wider St. James, where the TEF has been...

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative, Dr. Constant Lonkeng Ngouana, is lauding the Government for initiating measures to preserve and bolster the economic gains Jamaica has recorded over the last six years. This, he notes, under the country’s Economic Reform Programme (ERP). These safeguards, which Dr. Lonkeng Ngouana contends are imperative in facilitating Jamaica’s exit from the IMF’s financial support...