PM Praises PBCJ And USF

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has praised the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) for its work in televising matters of national interest, including coverage of proceedings in the Houses of Parliament.

“In fact, you have developed a news broadcast, and people do pay attention to it and do watch the coverage,” he noted.

Mr. Holness pointed out that PBCJ is “becoming one of those channels on which you can rely… to get quality, reliable and accurate news.”

He was speaking during a recent ceremony at the PBCJ in Kingston for the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) handover of a cheque for $20 million to the Corporation to procure state-of-the-art equipment for the establishment of a dedicated 24-hour education channel.

This will target digital transmission of content, largely tailored for early childhood, primary, and secondary students.

Noting that the Corporation can potentially maximise its current output, Mr. Holness said the entity has commenced by taking steps to create an education channel, the second such in Jamaica. The channel is also the second for the entity.

“What we are seeing now is that your regular programming would not be able to sufficiently address another major [requirement] of our society, which is the need to provide educational information for our children while fulfilling your role for social and public broadcasting,” he pointed out, adding that this would be the case with the new channel’s establishment.

The Prime Minister also praised the USF for its work over the years in facilitating communities and public institutions with internet/broadband access and information and communications equipment.

“The USF is an important agency in Government for ensuring that all Jamaicans can get access to information services. They have done a wonderful job over the years, including funding labs in schools, through e-learning, [and] funding the provision of broadband and wi-fi services through community access points, that are free, across Jamaica,” Mr. Holness pointed out.

He added that “that is [another] functioning part of government that is doing very well.”

For his part, PBCJ CEO, Keith Campbell, said the entity “will do our best to partner with our educators in using this channel to engage, encourage and inspire students of all ages.”

USF Chairman, Justin Morin, said financing the project is “timely”, as Jamaica continues to find innovative ways of reaching students whose learning has been disrupted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Supporting the initiative is just one of the ways that the USF is seeking to empower Jamaicans and improve the country’s infrastructure through technology,” he stated.