Priority to be Placed on Several Key Areas in New Development Plan

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall has said that priority would be placed on human resources, international competitiveness, environmental sustainability, health, infrastructure and national security in Jamaica’s new development plan.
He pointed out that this plan was being prepared so that the country could achieve developed country status by the year 2030.
“That plan calls on us to make Jamaica the place of choice to raise families, live, work and do business, and is guided by principles which put people at the centre of Jamaica’s transformation,” he explained.
The Governor-General, who was addressing patrons attending the 19th annual dinner and dance of the Rusea’s Old Students Association (ROSA) in Toronto, Canada recently, said the new development plan to transform Jamaica would be “buttressed by strong extraordinary leadership.”
Professor Hall said graduates today and in the future needed to position themselves to acquire the requisite “skills, knowledge and competences” in order to participate or lead in the transformation of Jamaica.
The former student and teacher of Rusea’s noted that it was for this reason that the Old Students Association, the school Board and the management of the school have come up with a long-term strategic plan to “develop and manage education programmes to achieve excellent education outcomes and promote the graduation of outstanding well rounded students.”
Slated to cost approximately $82 million, of which all ROSA chapters are expected to come up with 10 per cent of the funding, Professor Hall said the rest would come from partnerships with private sector groups and Foundations.
Urging the former students to take part in the initiative, Professor Hall pointed out that similar initiatives were taking place in other high schools because by themselves, “our schools will be unable to successfully overcome the challenges faced by inadequate resources, expanded responsibilities, increasing numbers and deteriorating facilities.”
The Governor-General, who was previously Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, thanked Rusea’s for contributing to the development of Jamaica and other countries, noting that many graduates occupied positions of trust and leadership in every field of endeavour in Jamaica, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“I owe everything that I have today to a school called Rusea’s. That’s why we have to continue to support our school. It is my view that we have an obligation to assist our alma mater to ensure that those who attend that school will graduate prepared to exercise their options for a better life as we were able to do,” he said.
President of ROSA, Canada, Dalton Forrester, invited past students to the 230th anniversary celebration of the school which would take place from August 10 to 12 in Lucea, Hanover.
Also in attendance were the President of ROSA, Jamaica, Lloyd Tomlinson; Vice-President of ROSA, New York, Lloyd Blake; and Consul at the Jamaican Consulate General, Dale Jones.
ROSA Canada was formed in 1988 and over the years members have donated approximately Cdn$80,000 in money and equipment to the school, including a bus, a piano and equipment for the chemistry laboratory.