As of September, more Jamaicans will benefit under the Jamaica-Cuba Bilateral Medical Scholarship Programme. The Cuban Government is offering additional scholarships for Jamaican students to study in various fields, including nursing, medicine and engineering. Each year, the Cuban government invites applications from persons wishing to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The programme is administered by the Embassy of the Republic...

While other countries are still on course with inspiring greater female participation in science and technology, Jamaica is moving towards persuading boys. Taking the lead in this mammoth task is the Scientific Research Council (SRC) in Kingston. Under the guidance of Dr. Charah Watson, its Executive Director, the SRC has set the ball rolling with implementing developmental programmes that do...

Since its implementation in March 2020, the Child Diversion Programme in the Ministry of Justice has been steering youngsters in conflict with the law away from the criminal justice system. The initiative, which is in the Social Justice Division of the Ministry, targets children aged 12 to 17 years, providing them with individualised diversion programmes tailored to their needs. Director...

Two civil society organisations (CSOs), Children First and the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), have been engaged under the Social Justice (SO-JUST) Project to provide access to justice services for the society’s most vulnerable. The aim is to facilitate these provisions for persons with hearing impairments and children in contact and conflict with the law. Implemented by the United...

Every Jamaican girl must feel strong, confident and capable of protecting herself by learning basic self-defence techniques. That’s the view of reigning Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2023, Aundrene Cameron, who recently launched her official Queen Project, titled, ‘Girls Who Fight Back”. “It will also teach girls how to assess their surroundings and how to ensure their safety as much as...

Deep in the heart of Clapham, St. Ann, sits a small early-childhood educational institution where the administrators and teachers have big dreams for their students. The realisation of these dreams for the youngsters at Clapham Community Basic School is poised to be significantly driven by tangible stakeholder support extended to the institution recently. This entailed a well-needed facelift as well...

The Cedric Titus High School in Clarks Town, Trelawny will soon be able to be accommodate more students, as ground was officially broken for the construction of a new classroom block at the institution. The project is being undertaken as part of the Ministry of Education and Youth’s Primary and Secondary Infrastructure Project (PSIP), with oversight by the National Education...

When Grange Hill Primary School in Westmoreland first opened its doors to the young minds of the future, it was unforeseen that they would have existed to commemorate their centennial. The parish’s Anglican Church hall served as the site of the then Grange Hill Government School’s inaugural day in January 1924, after which late former Governor-General, Sir Clifford Campbell, served...

The National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) has been successful in mobilising mentors to encourage effective parenting in their communities. Parent mentors assist with the implementation of the Commission’s programmes and initiatives at the individual, school and community levels. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kaysia Kerr, tells JIS News that the mentorship initiative is “the only programme where we have parents trained...