Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Hon. Rhoda Crawford, says graduating from high school is a defining milestone that propels students towards a lifetime of excellence.

Delivering the keynote address at the Hampton School Valedictory Service Class of 2026 in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, on June 21, Ms. Crawford told the graduates that not only should they be proud but should also consider themselves a very important part of Jamaica’s ever-evolving educational landscape.

“As you take this important step on your life’s journey, please note that courage and courtesy are not luxuries; they are the foundations on which we build a life of learning, leadership, and service,” the State Minister said.

“Know who you are, pursue excellence with purpose, and let discipline and character be your compass as you navigate the opportunities ahead,” the State Minister continued.

Ms. Crawford emphasised that education is an all-important catalyst for social advancement, adding that the Hampton School with its rich tradition of excellence shows what can be achieved when communities invest in “our young women”.

“As Jamaica moves through converging challenges, our graduates must carry courage and courtesy into every classroom, workplace, and community. We must empower every student to reach higher levels, knowing that integrity and perseverance will sustain success beyond the classroom,” she added.

As Hampton marks 168 years of forging leaders, State Minister Crawford spoke of resilience, self-knowledge, and the essential role of education as a catalyst for social advancement and praised Hampton School’s enduring reputation for excellence and the collaborative effort of parents, teachers, and alumni in sustaining high standards across generations.

She urged graduates to stay the course and to take the values that have been instilled in them to higher education and the job market, emphasising that character and discipline are as crucial as academic achievement.

Reflecting on her own youth, Ms. Crawford described formative experiences that reinforced the connection between moral development, access to education, and public service.

She argued that education is inseparable from leadership and community service, a message she said resonates with Hampton’s mission to cultivate not only scholars but principled young women prepared to contribute to Jamaica’s future.

Ms. Crawford urged graduates, families, and educators to maintain environments that nurture excellence and courtesy.

Eight schools across Kingston and St. Andrew will be outfitted with hydration stations as part of the Hydrate Caribbean Jamaica: Healthy Students, Healthy Futures initiative.

The project aims to increase students’ water consumption, reduce dependence on sugary beverages, and foster healthier lifestyle choices while promoting sustainable habits through the use of reusable water bottles.

Beneficiary schools include Tarrant High, Clan Carthy High, Kingston Technical High, Pembroke Hall High, Edith Dalton James High, Oberlin High, Papine High, and Mavis Bank High.

The National Education Trust (NET) is partnering with Newport Water Limited, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Diabetes Association of Jamaica to facilitate implementation of the project, which is scheduled to begin in July.

Addressing Thursday’s (June 25) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Clan Carthy High School in Kingston, Deputy Chief Education Officer for Curriculum and Support Services in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Winnie Berry, noted that discussions about education often focus on curriculum reform, teaching quality, student performance, and assessment outcomes.

“These are important areas of focus. However, learning does not take place in isolation from the broader conditions that affect our students on a daily basis. A student’s ability to participate, concentrate and engage meaningfully in the classroom is influenced by a wide range of factors, including health and well-being,” she said.

Dr. Berry emphasised that ongoing research consistently indicates how hydration supports concentration, attention, and overall cognitive functioning.

She further explained that when students are unable to stay adequately hydrated throughout the school day, their ability to fully participate in learning activities may be compromised.

“The initiative is further strengthened by an educational component that encourages healthy lifestyle practices and increased awareness of personal health and wellness. While the act of accessing clean drinking water may appear simple, the cumulative effect of creating healthier school environments should not be underestimated,” Dr. Berry said.

She urged the students at the beneficiary schools to take full advantage of the hydration facilities provided.

“Pay close attention to the health messages that accompany this initiative. Developing positive habits at an early stage can have lasting benefits throughout your educational journey and beyond,” Dr. Berry underscored.

Newport Water Limited Project Lead, Sheridan Greaves, explained that the initiative originated in Barbados.

“Since 2020, this programme has accumulated 5.1 million bottle fills in Barbados. These are not bottles that had to be recycled and collected. These were bottles… that didn’t end up in our landfills… didn’t end up in our oceans and gullies,” he explained.

Mr. Greaves said he is anticipating the positive impact the initiative will have across the eight beneficiary schools and throughout Jamaica, as the entity pursues corporate sponsorship to support its expansion.

“I would like to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their significant contribution to Hydrate Caribbean. They took the extra step to provide funding, not only for the stations themselves, but for stainless steel reusable water bottles for each and every single student at these eight schools, as well as 13 schools back home in Barbados,” Mr. Greaves disclosed.

Meanwhile, Senior Vice Principal at Clan Carthy High School, Laurel James, said the institution is deeply grateful to be selected as one of the pilot sites for the project.

“It is a commitment to the long-term well-being of our students. By providing accessible, purified drinking water, you are actively supporting our health, improving our daily concentration and encouraging habits that will last us a lifetime,” Mr. James said.

He encouraged students to make the conscious choice to drink water, stay hydrated, and care for the station that has been generously provided to their school.

The Government has earmarked $310 million to rebuild and strengthen St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS)in Santa Cruz.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, made the announcement while addressing the school’s graduation ceremony on June 25, held under the theme ‘Through Challenges We Rise: Embracing Resilience and Achieving Success’.

Dr. Morris Dixon said the investment is part of a broader, multibillion-dollar national effort to rebuild more than 400 schools that sustained damage when the category-five Hurricane Melissa swept across the island in October last year.

“We have 400 schools that have been damaged across Jamaica and all of them we are trying to build back at the same time. You know, that’s a very difficult feat; it’s very hard,” Dr. Morris Dixon outlined.

The Minister pointed out the scope of work being carried out at STETHS, such as redesigning the male and female dormitories with reinforced concrete roof slabs and additional supporting columns to improve structural stability to better withstand future storms.

Also, the damaged teachers’ cottage and the principal’s residence are being upgraded, while the grade-11 block will receive reinforced purlins beneath new 24-gauge industrial roof sheeting, she noted.

Dr. Morris Dixon said additional strengthening works will be carried out across the campus to withstand high winds, heavy rainfall and other extreme weather conditions.

In the meantime, the Minister said that STETHS will become home to Jamaica’s first high-school mechatronics and robotics laboratory when students return in September.

She indicated that the state-of-the-art facility forms part of a $400-million investment by the Ministry, using funding from the HEART/NSTA Trust, to strengthen technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in technical high schools across the island.

“We believe that our students at STETHS, or any of the other technical high schools in Jamaica, must have the best technology at their fingertips,” Dr. Morris Dixon underscored.

Addressing the graduating students directly, the Minister encouraged them to mirror the resilience being built into their school’s walls.

She acknowledged that life would bring setbacks and moments of disappointment but urged them to keep moving forward and to view closed doors not as failures but as redirections.

To celebrate the outstanding performance of Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students of Park Mountain Primary and Infant School in St. Elizabeth, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, visited the institution on Thursday, June 25.

The visit was particularly special, as 11-year-old Jasonnia Beadle of the school had emerged as Jamaica’s top primary school student in the PEP examinations.

Dr. Morris Dixon celebrated the achievement by donating a laptop to both Jasonnia, the school’s Head Girl, as well as the school’s Head Boy, Najhay Nish, who secured a spot at Munro College.

The Minister said that both students alongside their peers were proof that talent and potential exist across every part of Jamaica, regardless of how remote or rural the community might be.

“I’m so glad you get to be highlighted, to get all this publicity because it was hard work. It’s not just something that just happened. It is something that has taken place because of the leadership and the school community,” Dr. Morris Dixon outlined.

She praised the students’ maturity and confidence, noting that their comments reflected the quality of teaching and preparation taking place at the school, despite the impact of Hurricane Melissa in October last year.

The Minister also commended the principal, the school Board and the teaching staff for transforming the institution into an “elite school”.

She noted that the school’s Mathematics and English initiatives, which she observed during a previous visit, have clearly borne fruit and that this achievement is a direct result of deliberate actions and strong leadership.

“So, what I’ve learned from interacting with the head boy and the head girl, who is that number-one primary student, is that success can be had in our schools where we put in the initiatives,” Dr. Morris Dixon explained.

“Also, the parents are very involved, the PTA is here and involved, and that says a lot. So, you have a school with excellent leadership, you have excellent teachers, you have a community that is involved – that is how we get success,” she added.

Dr. Morris Dixon pointed out that the Government remains committed to supporting schools across the island, so that more students can realise their potential and achieve academic excellence.

 

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, has charged the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) to maintain a high standard of content monitoring for the advancement of the nation.

An independent statutory agency under the Ministry, the BCJ is charged with monitoring and regulating the electronic media sector (free-to-air television, broadcast radio, and subscriber/cable television) to ensure it operates within appropriate programming, technical, and service standards.

Speaking to JIS News at the BCJ’s 40th anniversary conference held at the AC Hotel Kingston on Thursday (June 25), Dr. Troupe commended the agency for safeguarding standards and ensuring that citizens, particularly the youth, are receiving safe and clean content, by watching behind the scenes to eliminate excess vulgarity and violence.

“The BCJ is set up for a big reason and we are proud,” Dr. Troupe said.

“As we celebrate our conference this year, we’re looking to see how we can pivot and continue to respond to the need to educate our public about misinformation, disinformation and the risk of scams in the media,” she said.

She emphasised the Commission’s role in the nation’s transition from analogue to digital television, emphasising ongoing collaborative efforts to distribute set-top boxes, educate communities, and ensure equitable access to digital broadcasting services for all Jamaicans.

Executive Director of the BCJ, Cordell Green, said the conference is not only a commemoration of the BCJ’s 40 years of service but also a timely national conversation about the future of Jamaica’s media and communication landscape.

He said it has been phenomenal to see the evolution of technology over the four decades and the extent to which the world has been transformed through artificial intelligence (AI), particularly over the last two to three years.

Mr. Green said he is excited about the prospects for young people and urged them, as they seek to capitalise on the opportunities, to “remember, we are anthropomorphising devices, smart devices. Do not allow yourselves to function inferior to any machine or any device. Innately, we are very powerful people, so let us continue being human-centric. Use these devices ethically”.

“AI is not about doing more with less; it’s about doing more for more people. I hope young people will use AI in that way to do more for themselves, more for their communities, and ultimately more for Jamaica, and that they will also recognise that we have a tremendous gift in free-to-air and over-the-air radio and television,” he said.

The conference, under the theme ‘Legacy. Transformation. Future’, examined the future of media, broadcasting, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, trust, radio, youth engagement and media regulation.

A $3.7-billion contract has been signed for the design and construction of Jamaica’s first Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEAM) Academy.

The school, which will be situated at the Greater Bernard Lodge Development area in Dunbeholden, St. Catherine, will feature cutting-edge science and technology laboratories, digital classrooms, and space for digital innovation, robotics, and the creative arts.

It will have capacity to accommodate approximately 2,400 students from grades seven to 13.

The school will serve as the pilot for a larger government initiative aimed at constructing several specialised STEAM schools across the island to prepare graduates or emerging, future-ready careers.

The National Education Trust (NET) is the implementing agency for the project, with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation as the contracting entity. The project will be undertaken in segments, starting with the design phase.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, in her remarks at the contract signing on Thursday (June 25) at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle location in Kingston, said that the project “is about the development of the children of this country”.

“We are looking forward to the benefits that will redound from this infrastructure investment in our education system. It’s not just about the building but the promise it holds for a brighter Jamaica,” she noted.

“We are looking to see the new learning environments where children can create, ideate [and] innovate, where they can problem solve, where they can foster critical thinking… generate the ideas, and facilitate independent learning,” she added.

Managing Director, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Jay Wang, said that the contract signing represents a turning point for the future of education in Jamaica.

“It marks the execution of a shared commitment to investing in Jamaica’s future through education, innovation and human capital development. It marks the foresight and forward-planning initiatives of the Jamaican people. More importantly, it references the long-standing commitment of cooperation between Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China,” he said.

The new STEAM School will address the growing demand for secondary school spaces in St. Catherine, while providing students with access to world-class educational facilities designed to foster creativity, innovation, critical thinking and technological competence.

The school will provide a future-focused learning environment equipped with modern educational infrastructure, specialised laboratories, technology-enabled classrooms and collaborative learning spaces designed to support interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

The design phase includes architectural, structural engineering and civil engineering design; mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services; landscape and site development design; environmental and sustainability considerations; and the preparation and submission of statutory approval applications.

The school will feature academic classroom facilities, science laboratories, technology and engineering laboratories, innovation and maker spaces, visual and performing arts facilities, a library and resource centre, administrative and staff facilities, student support services, information and communications technology infrastructure, sporting and recreational facilities, internal roads, drainage and utility infrastructure, external works and landscaping.

Ninety per cent of students who sat the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination have been placed in a school of their choice.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, advised that 9.5 per cent were placed by proximity while 0.5 per cent were manually placed.

Addressing Monday’s (June 22) PEP Press Conference at Jamaica House, she noted that students are given seven choices.

“Twenty-four per cent of the students got their first choice, 18 per cent got their second choice, 16 per cent got their third choice. So, when you add up all of that, you’re almost at 60 per cent that got their first three choices,” she shared.

Some 13 per cent were placed in their fourth choice, while 11 per cent each were placed in their fifth or sixth choice and seven per cent in their seventh choice.

Dr. Morris Dixon said that the Ministry’s goal “has to be to raise the level of all our high schools, so that wherever you go, you feel like you can achieve”.

In congratulating the students, the Minister said it was a difficult year with the impact of Hurricane Melissa but they persevered.

“These PEP Six results show us the resilience of our country,” she said.

Meanwhile, she shared that, overall, females performed better than males, but among the top-10 students, seven of them are males.

“The top primary student is from St. Elizabeth and he is from Park Mountain Primary School,” she informed.

Global educational publishing company, Macmillan Education, in partnership with Kingston Bookshop, has donated 4,000 textbooks valued $6 million to schools affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The books were officially presented to the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information during a handover ceremony at the National Education Trust (NET), Caenwood Centre in Kingston, on Friday (May 15).

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry, Senator the Hon. Marlon Morgan, expressed gratitude to the donors, emphasising the importance of partnership in advancing education across Jamaica.

“Literacy is the foundation of education. If you have a solid foundation, you’re able to build on top of that… and that’s what we seek to do as a Ministry,” he said.

Senator Morgan urged the students to be good stewards of the textbooks as they work to expand their knowledge, strengthen literacy skills, and build a brighter future through education.

Macmillan Education Caribbean Sales Manager, Deborah Brearley, noted that the company has maintained a strong relationship with Jamaica for more than 70 years.

“Jamaica holds a very special place in our hearts and in our business. This long-standing relationship is built on trust, shared purpose and a deep commitment to education as a driver of opportunity and growth,” she said.

Ms. Brearley explained that the donation of books is intended to help restore learning continuity, close resource gaps, and support both educators and students in their recovery.

“We believe strongly that our role goes beyond publishing educational content. It’s about standing with our partners, especially in moments of difficulty, and supporting the long-term strength and resilience of the education system,” she stated.

Among the beneficiary institutions is Broadleaf Primary School in Manchester. Principal, Eaton McNamee, expressed sincere gratitude for the timely support.

“These books are more than just paper and ink. They are tools that will open doors, spark curiosity and strengthen the foundation of learning for our students. In a time when resources matter more than ever, your partnership reminds us that education is a shared responsibility and that our children’s future is worth investing in,” Mr. McNamee said.

Student, Shameena Grant, pledged to make full use of the books, noting that they will not remain idle on the shelves.

“They will be read, questioned and used to build a stronger foundation for us as learners,” she said.

For her part, NET Executive Director, Latoya Harris-Ghartey, said the agency was pleased to facilitate the donation, noting its significance for communities where electricity and internet service have yet to be restored.

“It means they still have the capacity to learn, to engage with material that is critical for their brain development, their grasp of concepts and their application of knowledge,” she said.

In expressing gratitude to the donors, Mrs. Harris-Ghartey emphasised that partnerships are critical to advancing education.

“Education is not a government alone undertaking. It is something that everybody has to invest in, because we all have to live in this society,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Kingston Bookshop, Shauna Fuller-Clarke, underscored the vital role of books in supporting recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

“The textbooks get students back to learning and the storybooks give a child somewhere else to go in the world,” she said.

 

Mrs. Fuller-Clarke advised that Kingston Bookshop has placed donation boxes in its retail stores to collect books from the public in support of schools in western Jamaica.

“We did a needs analysis sometime last year and we’re finalising plans to support one or two schools in the west in a more substantial way, because we believe recovery is not a single moment. It’s a sustained commitment,” she stated.

Buff Bay Primary School, in Portland, is winner of the 2026 Portland Maths Quiz Competition.

The four challengers from Buff Bay faced off against Norwich Primary School in a neck-and-neck battle, separated by just a few points in the end. The final, as well as the third-place playoff, took place at the Social Development Commission’s Portland Office on May 7.

It is Buff Bay Primary’s first time winning the competition. The champion quizzers, the second and third-place teams, their coaches, and other outstanding challengers were all feted with an array of trophies and exciting prizes from sponsors.

Buff Bay Primary’s Coach, Jody-Ann Thomas, told JIS News that it took “hard work and dedication” to claim the win.

Ms. Thomas said that the experience was not just a competitive one but also the contest provided several other benefits to the young participants.

“It also improved how they collaborate with each other and all of that. So, it’s not only just about writing down the answer. As the judges would have said, it is about thinking critically and with reasoning,” she explained.

Cluster-based Mathematics Specialist for Region 2, President of the Norwich Community Development Committee and an Organiser of the competition, Suzette Simpson McNeil, conveyed congratulations to the winning team.

“We are really happy for them [and] for all the teams that made it this far. It has been a long couple of weeks [and] it’s really a wonderful blessing to be here,” Mrs. Simpson McNeil said.

The competition was launched on February 6 with a total of 30 schools – the most entries ever received since it began in 2017 in the Port Antonio area.

“We thought that when we saw the numbers for mathematics for the region, we thought we should not just stick to Port Antonio, but just to enlarge it to the other communities in Portland,” Mrs. Simpson McNeil pointed out.

The 30 Primary-level institutions that took on the challenge hail from both Eastern and Western Portland. For next year, organisers are looking to extend the competition to include high schools.

Mrs. Simpson McNeil also informed that the quiz revealed areas in which students were having challenges with mathematics, and certain misconceptions.

“And what the teachers, and what we have identified to them is that they were not familiar with doing many reasoning tasks, and so we want to fix that. We’re going to continue this progression because coming out of the match, we met with the teachers in West Portland and they decided that they want to form a little group and to do some item writing, which is a plus,” the Maths Specialist said.

“The work continues because we’re going to be going into the schools, school by school, looking at the weaknesses. We want to meet with the teachers, let them know where their school is at and what intervention they can do in school and what we can do from this summer to going into the new school year because we want to fix it,” she added.

Social Development Commission (SDC) Parish Manager for Portland, Karl Coke, said: “We recognise that there’s a gap in mathematics right across the parish of Portland, so hosting a competition like this allows the Ministry of Education to identify those gaps and see where we can work towards fixing it going forward.”

The competition is implemented by the Portland SDC in partnership with the Norwich CDC and the Portland Parish Development Committee.

Mr. Coke said that in addition to expanding the Maths Quiz competition, the agency is looking to establish a public speaking and poster competition for schools in the parish.

He thanked the sponsors for their support of the Maths Quiz Competition, hailing the community spirit that was displayed.

These included Members of Parliament for Portland Western and Eastern, Hon. Daryl Vaz and Isat Buchanan; Mayor of Port Antonio, Paul Thompson; Jamaica Teachers’ Association Cooperative Credit Union; Bookzone; Anchovy Hardware; Ramtulla Supercentre; Essies Variety Store; Soshavel Variety Store; Bayview Eco Resort and Spa; DK Decorations and more; Portland Parish Development Committee; Boundbrook Tyre Shop; and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.

Children are being encouraged to build emotional resilience and speak about their mental health, as the Ministry of Health and Wellness expands its effort to provide psychosocial support in schools across the island.

This call was made by Team Lead for the Ministry’s Mobile Mental Health Service, Dr. Judith Leiba-Thomas, during the Ministry’s Wellness Day: Child Conversation event, held at Spot Valley High School in St. James, on May 15 to commemorate National Children’s Day.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and other government agencies.

Addressing students at the function, Dr. Leiba-Thomas underscored the importance of mental and emotional well-being, noting that it is just as critical as physical health.

“That’s why we go around and we try to blend into as many schools as we can, so that persons will see us and accept the fact that mental health is important,” she said.

Dr. Leiba-Thomas explained that the Mobile Mental Health Service, also known as the Wellness Express, is the first initiative of its kind in Jamaica and was designed to provide children with safe and private spaces to discuss emotional or psychological challenges.

“The Wellness Express is very unique, and we go around and give children an opportunity to come and talk to us privately if they’re suffering or if they just want to discuss something,” Dr. Leiba-Thomas shared.

She further pointed out that Spot Valley High School was specially selected to host the wellness celebration because of the institution’s strong partnership with the initiative.

Dr. Leiba-Thomas highlighted the collaborative effort behind the initiative, noting that the Ministries of Health and Wellness; Education, Skills, Youth and Information, and Labour and Social Security have been working together to strengthen mental health support systems for children, “and we are very proud to be part of this collaboration”.

Noting this year’s National Children’s Day focus on mental wellness, Dr. Leiba-Thomas encouraged students to develop “stronger minds” to secure a brighter future.

“There’s a big word for stronger minds called resilience… . It means the ability to bounce back,” she explained.

The Wellness Day: Child Conversation event formed part of activities commemorating National Children’s Day and focused on promoting mental, emotional and behavioural wellness among students.