Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Government will continue to increase investment in education in order to improve quality and performance standards. He noted that $37.6 billion was spent on secondary education during the last academic year, which included an increase in the maintenance grant from $50,000 to $500,000 per school. The Minister,...

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is seeking to finalise the collation of stakeholder recommendations from consultations now under way with key government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), on the draft National Investment Policy (NIP) Green Paper by the end of the week. Vice President of JAMPRO, Shullette Cox, said this is aimed at updating the document for presentation to the Ministry...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, is urging parents and guardians to start saving early for their children’s tertiary education. “It shows that you believe that they are going to make it to college and if you believe it, they will believe it. It doesn’t matter how little you are saving; if...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, says the Government will be implementing improvements through the Financial Inclusion Strategy (FIS) to widen access to financial products and services for vulnerable persons. He said measures will also be put in place to enable micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to access capital with the aim of laying the...

The 2018/19 Financial Year officially begins today (April 1), with the Government projecting to spend $773.6 billion for the year. When former Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, tabled the 2018/19 Estimates of Expenditure in the House of Representatives in the afternoon on Thursday, February 15, the document outlined that the Government expects to spend $560...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, William ‘Billy’ Heaven, says the organisation will continue to be unwavering in its support of early-childhood education in Jamaica. Speaking at the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust Early Childhood Development Conference 2017 held at the Iberostar Resort in Montego Bay on November 16, Mr. Heaven said the...

Senior Advisor to the Education Minister, Robert Miller, has lauded the J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation for its continued investment in the education of the nation’s youth. Through its award of scholarships each year, Mr. Miller noted that the Foundation assists those students who are desirous of a solid education, but are “crippled by (the lack of) financial resources”....

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, is urging greater Diaspora participation in a wide range of activities that will support the Government’s drive to boost Jamaica’s growth and development. He said while the Administration acknowledges the importance of inputs such as remittances in supporting families and friends “we believe that your...

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is advising members of the Diaspora to utilise the services of the National Educational Trust (NET) when making donations to the education sector. “Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in his vision, established this institution to partner directly with the Diaspora and other multilateral donors so you can...

The Government is to undertake a public education campaign on the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS). State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, said the campaign will raise awareness among entrepreneurs of the steps needed to regularise their enterprises and access assistance from financial institutions. She was speaking in an interview with JIS...

The diaspora has contributed US$186,000 to the education sector for the period April 2016 to March 2017. This was reported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, while speaking at a Jamaica Diaspora Day Breakfast event held on Friday (June 16) at the Jamaica National Financial Centre on Belmont Road, Kingston. The...

As the Government pursues partnerships to fund tertiary education, a suggestion for the utilisation of social impact bonds in this undertaking is being supported by members of the private sector. Social impact bonds, which are largely private-sector-driven, were recently proposed in the Upper House by Government Senator Don Wehby. He was responding to a suggestion from Opposition Senator, Wensworth Skeffery,...