News On The Go

Millions to build and upgrade markets

Minister of Local Government and Community Develop-ment, Desmond McKenzie, said that some $400 million will be spent during the 2018/2019 financial year to construct and upgrade markets across the island.

He said that the expenditure is the largest in recent years for the improvement of market infrastructure, noting that the investment would stimulate small-scale economic activity.

He said there is a need for markets across the island to get "serious attention" as the facilities are major sources of income for many Jamaicans.

McKenzie was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for construction of the new Port Maria Market in St Mary yesterday.

The $56-million market will replace the existing structure, and will comprise a ground floor for the sale of produce and a top floor to accommodate shops, which will be rented for commercial activities.

Government to save money with new project

The Government is poised to generate significant savings from the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) implementation of the US$40-million Energy Management and Efficiency Programme.

The initiative, which was launched during a stakeholders' workshop at the PCJ Auditorium in New Kingston on Wednesday, is expected to yield a reduction of US$6 million per annum in government expenditure on energy consumption at the 80 health and educational entities shortlisted for its implementation.

The phased roll-out, which runs until 2023, involves the infrastructural upgrading at these entities through the installation of energy-efficient equipment and technology.

Additionally, it will target improvement in the Kingston Metropolitan Region traffic management system, which is projected to, among other things, reduce travel time by approximately 35 per cent, resulting in lower fuel consumption.

More than 1,000 receive free legal information

Minister of Justice, Delroy Chuck, said during the last fiscal year, 1,124 Jamaicans received free legal information from the Mobile Justice Unit.

The unit dispenses free legal information on the expungement of criminal records, wills, land titles, criminal matters, and child custody and maintenance.

The services are part of phase three of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme, targeting 50 communities.

Chuck said legal aid services in the parish courts increased by 58.9 per cent, with 1,389 legal aid cases last year.

All set for PEP

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is assuring Jamaicans that all the necessary mechanisms will be in place for the implementation of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) in 2019.

Manager of the Student Assessment Unit, Terry-Ann Thomas Gayle, said that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure that there is seamless transition from the Grade Six Achievement Test to PEP.

As part of the public education campaign, which started in 2017, town hall meetings have been held in all 14 parishes, and ministry personnel have met with over 10,000 parents to educate them about the new secondary placement examination.

She noted that all primary schools have been assigned assessment coordinators, whose responsibility is to ensure that teachers are delivering the curriculum effectively.

She is advising members of the public who have questions or concerns to contact the Ministry via WhatsApp at 876-455-3003, email: terry-thomas@moey.gov.jm, and through Facebook or Twitter @MOEYIJamaica.

Grange pledges support to teen mother

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has committed to paying the balance of tuition for Yasheka Brooks, a young mother who is struggling with the cost of her nursing programme at the Excelsior Community College.

Brooks was one of the speakers at the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation's Charity Ball held last Saturday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

She was only 14 when she became pregnant and dropped out of high school at grade nine when she enrolled in the Women's Centre location in Port Antonio, Portland.

"The centre changed my life. They taught me that being pregnant was not the end of my life. They also taught me that there was hope in my life and I was the only one who could make my dreams become a reality," said Brooks.

Through the efforts of the centre, she obtained a 2017 Scotia GEMS grant of J$50,000 towards her school fees. The Gender Ministry also gave her a grant of J$50,000 in 2017 to help with the expenses. But there's still a balance which Grange promised to fill.