Harness creative talent for economic development – Holness

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, has called on educators and school administrators to harness the creative talents of young Jamaicans for the economic development of the country.

He said Jamaica has a number of skilled young musicians, artists, and playwrights, and the question is how to package those talents and sell them to the world for the benefit of Jamaica.

“Education must support the natural creativity of our people to make sure that our own economic development is enhanced. I want our teachers, our principals, and administrators of education to think about how we can package our culture to secure and maximize the economic benefits towards the development of our society,” he stated.

Minister Holness was addressing a Jamaica Day celebration held on Friday (February 25) at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

Turning to the rich culinary heritage, he said “we must look at ways of using what we grow locally to produce and introduce to the world, new foods, new recipes, and new products.”

Jamaica Day is one of the flagship projects of the Culture In Education Programme in the Education Ministry. It is a day for schools to mount celebrations around a specific theme geared towards fostering a greater spirit of patriotism and responsible citizenship.

The day is observed on the last Friday during the month of February, or on the third Friday, if the last Friday falls on a public holiday of mid-term break from school. This year’s theme was ‘Celebrating Jamaica: Feasting on the Heritage’ and focused on authentic Jamaican cuisine.

CONTACT:  GARFIELD L. ANGUS

                    JIS REGIONAL OFFICE

                    MANDEVILLE