STATIN to Highlight Importance of Statistics on October 15

In an effort to underscore the value of statistics as an important resource in planning and decision-making, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) will, this Thursday (October 15), celebrate the first Caribbean Statistics Day.
“Jamaica is a member of the Standing Committee of Caribbean Statisticians and one of the things that we have been promoting is to develop an awareness for statistics and out of our discussions, it was agreed that this year we would start with a Caribbean Statistics Day, in preparation for next year, when the United Nations Statistics Division will be hosting a Statistics Day,” Director General at STATIN, Ms. Sonia Jackson, told JIS News in an interview.
She emphasised that Caribbean countries would have to get their people more committed to the use of statistics and information generally in their decision- making process.
“This is important at the business, individual and especially the Government level, where we need to make evidence-based decisions and that evidence comes from the statistics. In addition, statistics help us with the business of monitoring and evaluation,” Ms. Jackson said.
To mark the occasion, STATIN will host an Open Day at its Head Office, 7 Cecelio Avenue, Kingston 10, on October 15, beginning at 10:00 a.m. It will feature the work of STATIN’s various divisions and members of the public are invited.
“It’s open to all Jamaicans…we want people to come in and see and understand what we do, because it’s not just numbers and number crunching as everybody seems to think; it is a varied set of activities,” the Director General informed.
Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona and Chairman of the Board of Directors of STATIN, Professor Gordon Shirley, will also use the occasion to launch student handbooks on Economics, Geography and Sociology. The handbooks were developed by STATIN, in response to the needs of students who are preparing for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) in these subject areas.
In the meantime, Ms. Jackson is encouraging Jamaicans to be more receptive to STATIN’s requests for information.
“We need to ask all Jamaicans, individuals, business and government entities, to provide us with information when we request it. We need to develop that working partnership, so that we can get the information and give it back in a way that is meaningful,” she appealed.
The information, she assured, is kept confidential and is not released in a manner that will identify the individual or organisation from which it came.