Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has called on students to embody the Jamaica Day theme by showing kindness to each other.

“Kindness is not weakness and in schools, it means not bullying, respecting each other and supporting classmates who are struggling with a topic,” she said.

“Kindness also has to go beyond the classroom and be present online. You do not join in on bullying, that is not Jamaican. As you interact online, this theme of kindness has to go there with you,” she added.

Senator Morris Dixon was addressing the Jamaica Day celebration on Friday (Feb. 27) at the Manchester High School in Mandeville under the theme: ‘Celebrating Jamaica, Celebrating Kindness, Celebrating Courage and Community.”

“This year’s theme is a good one,” she said.

“We are celebrating what it is to be Jamaican,” she pointed out.

She said that generosity and love for one another is alive and well in Jamaica, noting the outpouring of support in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Minister Morris Dixon also urged the students to be courageous and speak up against bad behaviour.

“We never got to where we are as a country if we didn’t have people who spoke up. When we were living in slavery, that only ended because we spoke up. We are courageous people; we speak up,” she said.

“Jamaica needs young people…who are courageous enough to tell the truth, courageous enough to walk away from negative peer pressure, courageous enough to try, to fail, to learn, and then try again and try again and try again,” the Minister said.

She noted further that being courageous means to dream big, especially when circumstances look difficult.

“It doesn’t matter what you are going through, you can still be courageous and know that you are going to do well,” she said.

Jamaica Day, observed annually, aims to foster national pride, patriotism, and cultural awareness, particularly among the youth.

It serves to strengthen ‘Brand Jamaica’ by highlighting the nation’s heritage, music, food, and achievements, encouraging citizens to honour their history and culture.