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.

The Government is moving to finalise and seek approval for a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Education Policy, while simultaneously developing an information and communications technology (ICT) strategy and requirement plan.

The works will be done under Phase II of the Education System Transformation Programme, which has been allocated approximately $857 million in the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

During the upcoming year, the Government will also be looking to rehabilitate science laboratories as per the National School Learning and Intervention Plan (NSLIP) and commence construction works on one STEAM school in Bernard Lodge, St. Catherine.

There are also plans to finalise standards and guidelines for the management and operations of dormitory facilities.

The Education System Transformation Programme’s main objective is to advance the education sector’s modernisation and build on initiatives already executed.

These include improving the management of school plants, human and capital resources and student outcomes, and improving school efficiency and administration by establishing a management framework.

The Programme is also intended to increase student access to quality secondary-school places through the construction of six new STEAM academies and one Visual and Performing Arts secondary-level institution by 2028/29.

Among the achievements, up to December 2025, are the development and approval of a governance and management framework document for the operations of STEAM schools.

A STEAM education policy concept document has been drafted for review, and building standards for early-childhood, primary and secondary schools have been approved.

The project is being implemented by the National Education Trust (NET) and funded by the Government of Jamaica.

It commenced in April 2022 and has a March 2030 completion date.

The 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure was tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, on February 12.

The HEART/NSTA Trust will be enhancing the quality of training and certification it offers, with a strong emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Reading/Research, Arts and Mathematics (STREAM).

This is outlined in the 2026/27 Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, tabled recently in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams.

HEART will also expand its support for youth at risk through targeted interventions such as the Learning and Investment for Transformation (LIFT) Programme.

In addition, the Trust will strengthen the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem by implementing strategies designed to increase both reach and participation across its programmes.

“Targets under these priority areas will be achieved through the enrolment of 108,342 trainees in various programmes, with 41,070 obtaining certification within the 2026/27 financial year. Training will be delivered across HEART’s network of institutions, in partnerships with over 75 community training locations, enterprise and work-based training interventions and adult education sites,” the document stated.

In addition, HEART will continue to provide funding support for programmes administered by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

The budgeted allocation of $400 million will provide critical support for the College Credits initiative under the Sixth Form Pathways Programme, facilitate the integration of TVET in schools, and advance other STREAM-focused initiatives.

The Government will be spending $1.4 billion in its continued thrust to end the shift system and reduce overcrowding in schools, by constructing additional classrooms and other amenities during the upcoming fiscal year.

A portion of the sum will be used to upgrade electrical infrastructure and provide security fencing for selected primary and secondary schools.

The Primary and Secondary Infrastructure Programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and the National Education Trust, with funding from the Government.

Among the projects listed in the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, are the commencement of construction activities at 11 schools.

The schools are Dias Infant, Boundbrook and Oracabessa Primary, Aberdeen High, Denham Town, Nain, New Forest, Port Antonio, Stony Hill, Newell Town and classrooms at Papine High.

The Government intends to complete civil works at Westwood High in Trelawny.

Electrical upgrading works are expected to commence and conclude at McGrath, Holmwood, Marcus Garvey and Maggotty High Schools.

Meanwhile, the Government is aiming to complete construction of security fencing at Naggo Head, Retirement, Prospect and Brixton Hill Primary Schools.

In the upcoming fiscal year, fencing work is also expected to commence and conclude at three schools – May Pen Infant, Adelphi and Parry Town Primary.

Up to December 2025, electrical upgrade works were completed at 13 schools – Priory Primary and Infant, Little London and Savanna-La-Mar Primary Schools, Alston, Kemps Hill, Tarrant, Charlie Smith, Denbigh, Waterford, Greater Portmore, Alston, Garvey Maceo High Schools and St. Mary Technical High School.

Progress of construction activities are as follows: Cedric Titus, 90 per cent; Albert Town, 70 per cent; and Westwood High, five per cent.

Expansion and or renovation works were completed at nine schools: Exchange All-Age, Norman Manley High, Papine High, Kingston College, Black River, Edwin Allen, Jonathan Grant, Bridgeport and Holmwood Technical High.

Wastewater systems have also been commissioned at Black River and Papine High Schools, while a chairlift was installed at the Sydney Pagon STEM Academy.

Additionally, security fencing works were completed at Bridgeport, Eccleston, Golden Spring Primary, Papine High and Cedric Titus High schools, while the progress of fencing works at

Retirement, Prospect and Brixton Hill Primary Schools are 90, 60 and 20 per cent, respectively.

The project, which initially ran from April 2020 to March 2023, has been extended to March 2025 and further to March 2028.

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, tabled the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure in the House of Representatives on February 12.

Approximately 200 grade six and grade 11 students from across Westmoreland and St. James have strengthened their competencies in Mathematics and English Language, and in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), respectively.

This was achieved through a major series of capacity building and development sessions hosted by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Region Four, at Maud McLeod High School in Westmoreland on February 19.

The initiative forms part of a strategic regional response to improve student achievement and strengthen exam readiness. It also aims to build confidence among learners following recent disruptions to teaching and learning.

Region Four Regional Director, Dr. Michele Pinnock, told JIS News that students were actively engaged throughout the day.

Grade six students participated in robotics activities and introductory sessions in Food and Nutrition. Interactive review games also reinforced key Mathematics and English Language concepts.

Grade 11 students from Maud McLeod High and Grange Hill High in Westmoreland, along with Maldon High in St. James, also participated in targeted academic sessions. They engaged in a career forum that highlighted emerging and trending career opportunities.

Meanwhile, teachers and principals participated in sessions focused on improving numeracy and literacy outcomes.

They also explored strategies for integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) into classroom instruction—an approach that incorporates creativity and innovation into traditional STEM disciplines.

“Our facilitators were practicing teachers. So they were able to bring the things alive… and our teachers were very, very appreciative of that,” Dr. Pinnock said.

The day also featured STEAM project showcases and ‘Try a Skill’ sessions. These activities were aimed at strengthening independent learning skills and boosting student motivation.

Dr. Pinnock described the initiative as “an exceptionally good day,” emphasising that it strengthened both confidence and academic focus among students and educators.

The activities also featured the official launch of the Maud McLeod High School Resource Hub.

Established through a partnership involving the Ministry of Education, the Liberty Caribbean Foundation, and the Flow Foundation, the Hub is designed to strengthen teaching and learning continuity across 11 schools in eastern Westmoreland.

It will provide shared technology, STEM kits, printed instructional materials, and specialised learning spaces to support schools experiencing infrastructural challenges.

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Region Four, is intensifying efforts to locate approximately 1,000 students who remain unaccounted for following disruptions to the education system caused by Hurricane Melissa last year.

Regional Director Dr. Michele Pinnock told JIS News that structured retrieval efforts are currently underway across the Region.

These involve guidance counsellors, social workers, and school personnel conducting home visits and telephone outreach to trace affected students.

Dr. Pinnock outlined that some contact numbers on record are no longer functional and, in certain instances, families have relocated without providing updated information.

“Sometimes when we go out into the communities, we’re not able to get any information in terms of where the families would have relocated to,” the Regional Director stated.

The Ministry is encouraging parents whose children have relocated, to register them at the nearest school using the Student Registration Number (SRN) to track enrolment.

“We’re hoping to use the SRN… to locate any of these children throughout the whole island,” Dr. Pinnock explained.

She assured that for families experiencing financial or social challenges, the Ministry is facilitating connections with agencies such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

“If their families are having any issues, we are able to connect them… to make sure that the children are able to come back [to school],” the Regional Director told JIS News.

Additionally, Dr. Pinnock noted that some schools are easing uniform requirements and, in certain cases, providing uniforms free of cost to support students’ return.

Meanwhile, she is expressing confidence that students in exam cohorts will be located during national exam registration, while efforts continue to trace those in lower grades.

Procurement Director at the National Education Trust (NET), Suewayne Miller Bender, says the agency is partnering with qualified contractors to build back more resilient schools following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

More than 700 schools across the island sustained damage during the passage of the category-five hurricane last October.

Speaking at a recent public procurement engagement session, Mrs. Miller Bender pointed out that the Trust, which functions as both a registered charity and the primary infrastructure arm for the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information, is now shifting gears from emergency response to long-term, resilient reconstruction.

She noted that a key component of this resilience strategy is the transition from traditional roofing to slab roofs and other reinforced structures.

“We’re looking to partner with our contractors to ensure that our schools are built better so we can actually give the children of Jamaica what they deserve,” Mrs. Miller Bender said, inviting grades one and two contractors to reach out to the entity.

“The main requirement for the Melissa recovery is that the [contracting entity] needs a structural engineer on their team to conduct the [structural assessment] exercise, because we are not just building back the schools, we’re building stronger, better resilient schools that can withstand these hurricanes if they should come again,” she pointed out.

Mrs. Miller Bender said that several contractors have already come forward but noted that challenges in the tender process have caused some project delays.

These include contractors having incomplete bid submissions and failing to submit Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC), provide details about the composition of their teams, present Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) qualifications, among other things.

Mrs. Miller Bender said that NET also requires proof of the financial capability of the contracting firms, highlighting experiences “where contractors are not able to mobilise and start a project after the procuring entity would have awarded that contracting firm”.

She informed that the NET has placed a checklist at the front of its tender document to help contractors better prepare their submissions.

“So, [contractors] would have seen what the requirements are, what they need to submit to participate in the tender process to ensure that we do not have any holdup when we’re conducting our evaluation, going back out for clarification… because that is a further delay in our procurement process,” Mrs. Miller Bender stated.

Strengthening adoption, foster care and support for children with special needs has been identified as a national priority to ensure better outcomes for vulnerable children across Jamaica.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, emphasises the need to modernise Jamaica’s adoption framework in order to create more opportunities for children to transition into permanent and nurturing family environments.

“We keep talking about it, [but] we have not gotten there. We have to work on our adoption law,” she stated.

Senator Morris Dixon was speaking during the 14th Annual Educational Achievement Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), on Thursday (January 29) at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston.

She highlighted the need to streamline the adoption process to ensure that children can more efficiently transition into stable and supportive family environments, noting, “the process has to become much simpler, and it needs to be quicker.”

Regarding foster care, the Minister emphasised that children thrive best in family-based settings, and called for greater national participation, adding, “I really do believe that the best place for a child is in a home with family.”

Senator Morris Dixon further highlighted gaps in support for children with special needs, particularly during their transition into adulthood.

‘‘There are so many children with special needs. We are expanding our programmes in the Ministry, and we have to do more of that,” she said.

Emphasising inclusion and opportunity, she emphasised that, “they can contribute to this country”, adding “we must, therefore, put in place programmes that [facilitate] these children.”

Minister Morris Dixon stressed the importance of developing national frameworks that ensure every child, regardless of circumstance or ability, feels valued, supported, and fully included in society.

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information has endorsed the staging of the Jamaica Association of Education Officers (JAEO) annual 5K Run/Walk, which will be held at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine on Sunday, February 1, starting at 6:00 a.m.

Members of the public are being invited to participate in this year’s event, which is dedicated to supporting the Hurricane Melissa recovery process and advancing the Association’s Adopt-a-School initiative.

According to a bulletin issued by the Ministry, the Run/Walk also seeks to promote wellness, physical activity, and preventive health practices among participants.

The document noted that persons taking part will benefit from hydration stations strategically placed along the route, official medals, post-race refreshments, and entertainment.

Awards will be presented for outstanding performances, and participants will also enjoy a complimentary massage following the Run/Walk.

Participants are encouraged to register for the event using the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDbzOrfX9ezKEUI2l8rWB4OtAZlcIeSx3w68EsnsMMxOS0EA/viewform?usp=header.

For further information, persons may call (876) 433-8516 or (876) 315-1666 or make contact via email [email protected].

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities are recognised as full citizens, with equal rights to access, participation and opportunity.

“You can see our commitment in how we have been approaching post-Hurricane Melissa recovery,” she said during the official handover ceremony for the HEART/NSTA Trust’s Region I National Development Project at the Jamaica Society for the Blind in Kingston on January 15.

Dr. Morris Dixon noted that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), launched a cash assistance programme in December 2025 to support vulnerable persons affected by the hurricane, including individuals with disabilities.

“They have been targeting those who need assistance the most. They have been prioritising households that have suffered near total damage or total loss, and in addition to that, there is a special focus on key vulnerabilities… and that’s children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. So, in our Hurricane Melissa response, persons living with disabilities have been a focus,” she stated.

The Minister noted that Jamaica’s partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has prioritised vulnerable groups, particularly through the implementation of an emergency multipurpose cash top‑up designed to support households with children.

“With the UNICEF, through the support of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), we have a digital voucher mechanism that’s embedded in the ‘I Am Able’ app, and that’s designed to reach children with disabilities and their families,” she explained.

Regarding rebuilding efforts in western Jamaica, Senator Morris Dixon emphasised that special attention is being given to assisting the most vulnerable, including persons living with disabilities.

Meanwhile, she noted that within the education sector, the Government continues to strengthen systems designed to support learners with disabilities.

“As a Ministry, we want to make sure every child receives the support through appropriate assessments, learning accommodations, and the tools that will allow them to engage meaningfully and confidently with their studies,” Senator Morris Dixon maintained.

She emphasised the importance of ensuring that the Government is inclusive in every aspect of the education system, noting that access to justice is another key area of focus.

“The Government is ensuring that all our clerks in the courts are trained in sign language. We are also working to put many more of our services and our documents in Braille to make it easier for persons who are blind or visually impaired,” Minister Morris Dixon shared.

She added that the Government has also implemented tax exemptions to support persons with disabilities.

“Employed individuals registered with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities are reminded that they are eligible to apply for an income tax exemption. Section 12 (Y) of the Income Tax Act provides an exemption on emoluments of individuals with permanent physical or mental disabilities who are, nonetheless, capable of gainful employment,” Senator Morris Dixon outlined.