Students from schools across St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary connected with several educational and training institutions, government services and career-building activities at a Youth Opportunities Exposition, on Thursday (March 26).

The inaugural event was organised by the Paul Bogle Vocational Institute in Lyssons, St. Thomas, and took place on the school grounds.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, in a message delivered by Custos of St. Thomas, Hon. Marcia Bennett, declared the Exposition officially open.

The Governor-General encouraged the youngsters to consider their futures carefully.

“In my own journey, from the classroom to the pulpit, I have come to appreciate a simple but powerful truth. Geography is not destiny. Where you begin does not determine where you will end. Your present circumstances are not your final definition. They are merely your starting point,” he said.

He urged the students to view their life’s work as a great construction project which requires a solid foundation.

“Like any enduring structure, it must be built with care and intention. It cannot rest on indecision and mediocrity. It must be anchored in discipline, strengthened by purpose, and guided by vision,” the Governor-General said.

He deemed the Exposition a procurement centre, providing pathways to vocational excellence, insights into academic advancement, and tools for entrepreneurial success.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Skills and Information, Senator Marlon Morgan, who represented Portfolio Minister, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, said the country wants the young people in St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary to be on the cutting edge in terms of information and access.

He stressed that the approach to education and training cannot be static, pointing out that, “if we are to remain agile, relevant, and fit for purpose, certainly in education and the training of our young people, we have to ensure that we continue to renew, we continue to refresh, and we continue to rethink”.

To this end, Mr. Morgan charged the youngsters to be intentional in their decision-making.

“The decisions you make will set you up for life. If you make good decisions, you are on a path to being a productive, gainfully employed, and fulfilled citizen of Jamaica,” the Senator said.

Also in attendance at the Expo were representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, including from the High Commissions of Germany, India, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Following the opening ceremony, the officials toured the Paul Bogle Vocational Training Institute, observing some of the work of the students who attend the more than 30-year-old institution.

A major feature of the Expo was a large showing by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), which showcased various branches of its operations, much to the delight of the young attendees.

Sergeant Andrew Williams of the JCF’s Community Safety and Security Branch told JIS News that, “we are bringing your police officers to your doorsteps, so you can have a better understanding of what we do and how we impact the communities”.

“Youth are so important, especially with technology. We want them to understand that the JCF is a wonderful career path for them. But in understanding the JCF, they must know the different sections that we have on offer and, hopefully… that will excite them,” he said.

The Jamaica Defence Force, the Department of Correctional Services, and the Jamaica Fire Brigade were also well represented at the event, as well as all major universities in the island, government and non-governmental agencies and various financial institutions.

Students are being encouraged to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advancements rather than fear them.

Community Relations Education Officer for Region Two in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Tanya Sinclair, affirmed: “Technology or ICT (information and communications technology) will not replace great people, but technology in the hands of great people can be transformational.”

She was speaking during the dedication, relaunch, and equipping of the Denna Bogle Computer Laboratory at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland on March 19, where the upgraded facility is expected to provide students with enhanced access to digital tools and training.

The ceremony was held to honour the donation of 28 new Dell AI enhanced computers and monitors to the school, gifted by the late philanthropist, Denna Bogle, her family, and her United States based church.

“There was a time when people were afraid of computers. They would not want to turn one on. Now people are afraid of AI because of the possibilities that it has. But I want to use this opportunity to caution our students to use AI and all other technological resources wisely,” Ms. Sinclair said.

She noted that the possibilities of AI are endless, adding, “We have a duty to educate ourselves and others about it.

“We cannot shy away from it. The sooner we adapt to it, the easier it will be to adapt to our environment and the changes around us,” Ms. Sinclair emphasised.

She urged the students to take the best care of the computers, reminding them: “They are AI enhanced; they may tell on you if you misuse them.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, has advised that the number of shelterees on school compounds has reduced significantly.

Addressing Thursday’s (March 26) Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) Press Conference, held at Shortwood Teachers’ College in Kingston, she said 93 shelterees are being housed across eight schools in western Jamaica, nearly five months after the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa.

“The highest number is still at Petersfield [High School] with 40 shelterees,” Dr. Troupe noted.

She said the Ministry has been working with shelterees, noting that the respective principals have put measures in place to accommodate them.

“The reality is we have had a very difficult time in our country and we have got to support the recovery process for the people of this country. The people who we are helping as shelterees, they are parents and relatives of the children in our schools. They are relatives of teachers who work in our schools, so they are not strangers to the community,” she explained.

Dr. Troupe shared that the Ministry understands the need for access to the entire school plant, highlighting that efforts are under way inter-ministerially to make that a reality in the shortest possible time.

“When we did the recovery efforts, we called out to the same people in our communities to come into our school compound and help with the clean-up efforts. The same people who are now in the shelters and those who have left, they participated in that and we are grateful, and so this is our time to give back and to support,” Dr. Troupe said.

She thanked principals, staff and students for their patience and reassured them that the institutions will be decommissioned as shelters soon.

The Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) is recommending that the Government leverage private capital to rebuild eight schools that were destroyed by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

Addressing Thursday’s (March 26) ETOC press conference at Shortwood Teachers’ College in St. Andrew, Chairman, Dr. Adrian Stokes, noted that Hurricane Melissa, a Category-Five system, dealt Jamaica a severe blow.

He added that the education sector was among the hardest hit, with more than 600 schools suffering damage at varying levels.

“Every crisis presents an opportunity to emerge stronger and more resilient to future shocks. The damage to our schools is an opportunity to rebuild modern, fit-for-purpose learning environments that can withstand severe weather systems,” the Chairman said.

Dr. Stokes emphasised that the Government should take strategic decisions to secure adequate funding, ensuring reconstruction is carried out at the scale and speed demanded by the disaster.

He argued that the national Budget cannot accommodate the scale of financial resources required for rebuilding.

Dr. Stokes noted, however, that this need not be a binding constraint, provided the Government enacts measures to attract private capital as part of its broader capital mobilisation strategy.

“For every school built by the Government, the State should seek to sell that school to pension funds and other long-term investors and enter, simultaneously, into long-term contracts with those same investors. Alternatively, pension funds can build the schools and lease these back to Government on a long-term basis,” he outlined.

The ETOC Chair clarified that selling a school to Jamaican pension funds and leasing it back to the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information does not constitute privatisation.

“It is what we would call mobilisation. The State retains control, students keep their classrooms, pension savers gain stable, long-duration returns and, importantly, the Government converts $190 billion in deficit pressure into fiscal space without mortgaging Jamaica’s future to foreign creditors,” Dr. Stokes stated.

He added that the hurricane was unprecedented and that the Government’s budgetary response has been bold.

“What remains is execution – at the speed [demanded by] 689 damaged schools – and a nation in recovery,” Dr. Stokes said.

Books valued at $250,000 have been donated by The LearningHub Group (formerly GoGSAT) to support Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students across Jamaica as part of a collaborative initiative to strengthen literacy and ensure continuity in learning, following the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

The donation was formally presented during a PEP Books Handover Ceremony, held on Tuesday (March 17) at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) on Hope Road in Kingston, facilitated by the National Education Trust (NET).

Speaking during the ceremony, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Marlon Morgan, emphasised the importance of literacy as the foundation of education.

“At the Ministry of Education… we place a high premium on reading. We place a high premium on literacy, because we know that reading maketh a man… literacy is the building block, the very foundation of education,” he said.

Senator Morgan encouraged students to actively cultivate reading habits, noting that literacy proficiency will underpin their future academic and personal development.

“Seek to intentionally and actively carve out a space for reading… that has to be mainstreamed across Jamaica,” the Parliamentary Secretary added.

Senator Morgan also commended the role of private-sector partners in supporting the education system, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which significantly affected several schools across the island.

“The private sector of Jamaica is an indispensable partner. It is important that you also are mindful of your corporate social responsibility, and adding value to the lives of others,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The LearningHub Group, Dr. Shalette Ashman, explained that the initiative was a direct response to the Ministry’s call for support following the storm.

“In that moment, I made a decision… [that] we would not just sit back… [rather] we would respond,” she said.

Dr. Ashman noted that, beyond the initial donation, the organisation has launched a national book drive to encourage wider public participation.

“We asked the public to purchase three books for donation, and for every three books donated, LearningHub would add one additional book of equal or greater value,” she explained.

The CEO added that the initiative has evolved into a national movement, with individuals and families contributing to the rebuilding of education.

“People showed up, individuals bought books and families contributed. They believed in what The LearningHub was trying to do,” Dr. Ashman stated.

In addition to physical books, schools, particularly those in western Jamaica, will benefit from access to a digital library comprising more than 3,000 curriculum aligned, interactive digital titles.

Executive Director of NET, Latoya Harris-Ghartey, described the initiative as transformative, particularly in bridging traditional and digital learning methods.

“What LearningHub is doing… is providing equipment and resources that meet the children where they are… in a digital age,” she said.

Mrs. Harris Ghartey emphasised that the donation extends beyond textbooks, representing “continuity in the face of challenges, stability where there has been uncertainty, and opportunity where it is most needed”.

Meanwhile, PSOJ Executive Director, Sacha Vaccianna-Riley, highlighted the importance of partnerships in advancing national development.

“When we invest in learning, we’re not simply supporting schools; we’re, in fact, building the future capacity of Jamaica’s economy,” she said.

The initiative forms part of the National Education Trust’s ongoing efforts to mobilise support for the education sector through strategic partnerships, ensuring that students are equipped with the tools they need to succeed.

Park Mountain Primary and Infant School in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, has received $7 million from the iPrint Group of Companies to support post-Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts.

The money will be used to undertake critical roofing and electrical works at the institution, which sustained significant damage during the passage of the hurricane on October 28 last year.

At the handover ceremony held at the school on March 17, Director of Donor and Partnership Management at the National Education Trust (NET), Keisha Johnson, in remarks delivered by Donor Project Coordinator, Danielle Drummond, said the scale of damage across the island requires a coordinated response.

“Across Jamaica, more than 600 schools were impacted. Roofs were torn away, classrooms damaged, furniture destroyed, and learning spaces disrupted. It is a task too big for any one group to do alone, but not too big for all of us together,” Mrs. Johnson pointed out.

She underscored that recovery efforts are being driven through strong partnerships and commended the iPrint Group for their generous donation.

“The Government of Jamaica is leading this effort, but we are not doing it in isolation. We are working with an invested village… made up of donors, companies, foundations, volunteers, and partners, both here at home and across the diaspora,” Mrs. Johnson added.

“We thank iPrint Group for stepping forward, not because they were asked but because they chose to. They reached out and said, ‘How can we help?’ That is what true partnership looks like,” she said.

For her part, Principal of the school, Carlene Williams-Heath, welcomed the support, describing it as timely and impactful.

“Today, I stand here very happy for donors like iPrint who walked into our school and decided that, yes, we’re going to help the restoration process,” she said.

Mrs. Williams-Heath emphasised the importance of the donation in improving the learning environment.

“A safe and well-maintained learning environment is essential for the growth and development of our students, and your contribution is going to help us to ensure that our classroom remains a place where education can flourish,” she added.

Chairman of the iPrint Group of Companies, Stephen Steele, said the company was compelled to assist after seeing the impact of the hurricane.

“When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, it affected real people, real classrooms, and real children. For us at iPrint, the decision to contribute to the recovery effort was not a complicated one. It was simply the right thing to do,” he said.

Mr. Steele further underscored the importance of supporting educators and the education system.

“To the teachers and staff, every morning you walk through those gates, you choose your students over your own comfort. This is not a job, this is a calling, and Jamaica is better for the work you do every single day,” he said.

He also encouraged other private-sector entities to support similar initiatives.

The donation forms part of ongoing efforts by the NET and its partners to restore schools affected by Hurricane Melissa and to ensure that students have access to safe and conducive learning spaces.

Students in grades four to six across primary schools in Portland are gearing up to face-off in a Primary Mathematics Quiz Competition, which has been launched in the parish.

The contest was launched at the Buff Bay Primary School on Wednesday (March 18) and will be executed under the theme ‘Maths for all: Building communities, confidence, competence and creativity’.

Community Relations Education Officer for Region 2 in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Tanya Sinclair, speaking at the launch, said that the competition is a part of the Ministry’s response to the need for improved student performance in mathematics.

“Our data shows that nationally, we had 56 per cent of our Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students obtaining proficiency and seven per cent highly proficient, totalling 63 per cent overall. It means that we have more than room for improvement and for initiatives and competitions like this to help us close the performance gap in mathematics,” Ms. Sinclair said.

She described the competition as another opportunity for the students to learn, improve their mathematics skills, have fun, and meet new friends.

For her part, Mathematics Coach, Suzette Simpson McNeil, said that the competition is designed to strengthen computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and encourage critical thinking among students.

“Additionally, it fosters teamwork, boosts morale among students and teachers, and promotes a positive and enthusiastic culture around mathematics,” she pointed out.

Providing an overview of the competition, the Coach stated that both public and private schools in Portland are invited to participate in the quiz.

The teams will comprise four students from each team and one reserve member. The questions will be drawn exclusively from the modified mathematics curriculum appropriate for grades four, five and six.

The quiz is expected to run for four rounds across five locations, namely Buff Bay Primary, Hope Bay Primary, Port Antonio High, Moore Town Primary, and Castle Community Centre.

Following the official launch, students participated in round one of the competition through a pencil and paper test, which will determine if they progress to the next round.

“After today’s round, eight of the participating teams with the highest cumulative score will advance to round two. So, we’ll have four teams from East Portland and four from West Portland,” Ms. Simpson McNeil said.

Rounds two and three of the competition are scheduled for April 17 and round four – the finals – will be on May 7, during Child Month.

The competition is being hosted with the support of the Social Development Commission (SDC) and other sponsors.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has urged communities to play a greater role in addressing student absenteeism in schools.

Speaking during the Standing Finance Committee meeting of the House of Representatives on March 6 at Gordon House where members reviewed the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure, she reported that an islandwide absenteeism rate of 15 per cent was recorded for 2025.

The Minister expressed concern about absenteeism, even in education regions that were not significantly affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“Absenteeism is a problem across the system. It is not just in the west that we’re seeing it. We’re seeing it in Kingston. I’ve been looking at those numbers quite a bit. Even Region One, which is Kingston and St. Andrew, I only have 82 per cent consistent attendance at school. That is not acceptable at all; and then when you look at Region Six, it’s 65 per cent,” she said.

Region Six covers the parish of St. Catherine, while Region Four of the Ministry serves schools in Westmoreland, St. James, and Hanover, recording an average attendance rate of 66 per cent.

“When I say absenteeism, what we’re looking at is poor attendance. So, you come today, don’t come tomorrow… and so, it is a problem we are facing in this country,” Senator Morris Dixon said.

She emphasised that the Ministry needs the support of communities across Jamaica to help improve student attendance.

“You can’t see a child in the middle of the day in a fast-food establishment and not say something to them. The communities cannot hide them. We have to send our children to school,” Senator Morris Dixon further stressed.

Meanwhile, the Minister expressed gratitude to schools that have taken the initiative to engage with communities and locate their students.

More than 100 primary and secondary school students from institutions across Kingston, St. James, and Westmoreland participated in the 2026 Mathematics Problem-Solving Competition finale.

The event was hosted at Merl Grove High School in Kingston on March 12.

A total of 37 schools took part in the Competition, representing communities in vulnerable and high-risk areas across the three parishes. These schools are located within seven designated Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs).

Participants were recognised with trophies, plaques, medals, and mathematics manipulatives designed to promote active learning, strengthen engagement, and deepen conceptual understanding.

The initiative forms part of the Inter-Ministerial School Support Strategy, and is funded through the Violence Prevention Programme in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the British High Commission.

Executive Director of Citizens Security at the Ministry of National Security and Peace, Dianne McIntosh, told JIS News that since its inception in 2020, the initiative has had a positive impact in targeted communities, helping children improve their performance in literacy and mathematics.

“The approach is really to bring all the different agencies together at different periods of time, to say that the issue of solving violence and crime in a particular space is about agencies coming together. Strategic priorities will focus on psychosocial and post-social activities to help youngsters to manage their emotional wellbeing and to promote better wellbeing, manage traumas, and help them cope with it while they are closing [literacy] and mathematical gaps,” she explained.

Senior Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s Standards Development Unit, Dr. Lamar Edghill, noted that the initiative also aligns with the Government’s efforts to promote the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“When we think about where we are going as a country and a society generally, we are in the fifth revolution where we talk about innovative approaches that look at technology… [and] STEAM/STEM is the way to go,” he shared.

Dr. Edghill noted that education once focused on familiar career paths, with students aware of the jobs available upon leaving school. He emphasised that the current priority is preparing students for an uncertain future.

“So the best approach is to go STEAM/STEM, where we are adaptable [so that] when you go into a new space you can apply the skills necessary to function,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Edghill emphasised that the broader objective is to achieve crime reduction within the seven Zones of Special Operations.

He explained that as efforts are made to curb crime in these communities, the Ministry strongly believes that improvements in academic performance will play a critical role in supporting that reduction.

“We strongly believe that this math component of the project really looks at ensuring our students can improve their problem-solving skills,” Dr. Edghill further stated.

The Ministry of Education is engaging schools in a wide range of mathematics-focused activities throughout March.

This forms part of its broader observance of National Mathematics Month under the theme: ‘Mathematics for All: Building Communities, Confidence, Competence, and Creativity’.

The 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure have been updated to include an $18 billion allocation for disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response in schools.

“I believe [that] at the start of the Standing Finance [Committee review] process, there would have been an amendment done, where $18 billion was allocated to the Ministry of Education for that line,” said Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, during Friday’s (March 6) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives.

The allocation represents a significant increase over previous budget cycles. In 2024/25, a provisional expenditure of $2.5 billion was made, all of which was spent on Hurricane Beryl relief and recovery.

The revised Estimates for 2025/26 amounted to $2.8 billion, of which $500 million was allocated to Hurricane Beryl relief and recovery, while the remaining $2.3 billion supported Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery efforts.

The Ministry reported that more than 600 educational institutions sustained damage during the passage of Category Five Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, in his Throne Speech during the 2026/27 Ceremonial Opening of Parliament at Gordon House on February 12, indicated that educational institutions damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa and classified as ‘Priority 1’ will be fully repaired within the calendar year.