At just 10 years old, Yolanda Stephenson is the first Mini Miss St. Catherine Heritage Queen. She tells JIS News that a wave of emotions swept over her the moment her name was announced as the Queen for the parish. “I wasn't expecting to be the winner. When it was time, my heart was out of my ribs, and it...

In August 2020, young Shavary McFarlane stepped through the gates of Christel House in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, as a grade-two student. Now enrolled in grade seven at the institution’s newly opened high school, both he and his mother, Onica Buchanan, stand as living testaments to the transformative power of a holistic approach to education. Christel House Jamaica currently provides...

Greater Portmore High School in St. Catherine has achieved a pass rate of 82 per cent in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English, moving from a rate of 56 per cent. Principal, Ricardo Ross, has attributed this success to the “dedicated and hard-working students and the support provided by the committed academic and ancillary staff”. Mr. Ross tells JIS News...

Jamaica is making strides in special education, with significant investment made in creating an inclusive environment that offers tailored, student-centered approaches to learning to ensure that all children can reach their true potential. A new curriculum for students with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities has been developed by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, in partnership with the United...

Poised, confident, and purpose-filled—eight-year-old Breanna Gayle embodies all this and more as she makes history as the first-ever Mini Miss St. Thomas Heritage Queen. Crowned in June, Breanna is now preparing to represent the parish on the national stage in December, as she competes for the title of Mini Miss Jamaica Heritage Queen 2025. The articulate Grade Three student of...

The Bethabara Primary School in Newport, Manchester, is looking to brand and market the high-quality crops and value-added products from its greenhouse farm. Principal of the institution, Cecil Hamilton, says that the farm, which is a key part of the school’s “teaching and learning experience”, produces vegetable crops such as pak choi and sweet pepper. The items are supplied to...

Church Teachers’ College in Manchester is repositioning itself to attain university status, as it has been maintaining very high academic standards. According to Principal of the institution, Dr. Garth Anderson, its graduates have gone on to become not only teachers but school leaders, lawyers, politicians, media practitioners, religious leaders, financial and business experts, policymakers, researchers and change makers. Speaking at...

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s Media Services Unit continues to strengthen the national teaching and learning framework through the strategic development of educational resources in print, audio, and audiovisual formats. Assistant Chief Education Officer, Dr. Nadine Simms, tells JIS News that all content developed by the Unit is age-appropriate and guided by official curriculum frameworks. “So, the...