ONE-MINUTE READS ... News from across Jamaica

'Plant a Tree Today'

Jamaicans are being encouraged to plant trees at home or in their communities on National Tree Planting Day, October 2, which is being observed under the theme 'Healthy Trees, Healthy You; Plant a Tree Today'.

National Tree Planting Day is observed annually to bring awareness to the numerous health benefits provided by trees and the importance of maintaining a healthy forest cover.

A variety of timber, ornamental and fruit seedlings are available for collection through the Forestry Department's Nurseries at 173 Constant Spring Road in Kingston; Williamsfield, Manchester; and Moneague, St. Ann, between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. until October 7. Potted plants and select fruit and ornamental trees will also be on sale for as low as $250.

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Agriculture schools to boost milk production

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says the Government will be setting up first-rate dairy farms in seven agricultural education institutions as part of a move to increase milk production.

The institutions being targeted are the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Portland, Ebony Park HEART Academy in Clarendon, Dinthill Technical High in St Catherine, Knockalva Polytechnic College in Hanover, the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, and Munro College and Sydney Pagon Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy in St Elizabeth.

"When you set up those first-rate dairy farms in those schools, you will work with them to get other school students in and around the area to visit the farms and talk to them about the business, so it will be able to spark a fire in them in relation to dairy production," he said.

Green said that institutions will play an integral role in moving the island's average milk production annually of 13.7 million litres to over 30 million litres annually by 2030.

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Corals planted in Orange Bay Fish Sanctuary

Some 150 pieces of corals were planted on the reef at the Orange Bay Fish Sanctuary as part of efforts to restore the reef systems in Negril, Westmoreland, and surrounding areas.

The out-planting exercise, conducted by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in partnership with the Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT), forms part of the Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco) Project.

Loureene Jones, project manager, IWEco Jamaica, , said that the reef in Negril and surrounding areas have been experiencing continued levels of degradation due to indiscriminate fishing, land pollution and natural disasters.

She said that NEPA, through the IWEco project, is fulfilling its environmental responsibility to regenerate these natural treasures, as without reefs there is no buffer to protect coastlines from the damaging effects of wave action and storms.

"We thought this was apt as NEPT is the manager of the fish sanctuary where the coral nursery is located, so they are doing activities to conserve the Acropora palmate and Acropora cervicornis, which are two endangered coral species. When the corals are grown to a certain size, then they are defragmented and placed on the reef to rebuild that reef area. So again, we can restore biodiversity and bring back the natural function," Jones said.

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Education ministry gives homeschooling advice

The education ministry saysthat parents and guardians who choose to homeschool their children must take full responsibility to ensure that their children are educated in a safe and conducive learning environment,.

Dr Euphemia Burke-Robinson, registrar of the Independent Schools Unit in the mimistry, said that due to the current effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there exists a growing demand to establish homeschools, which forms part of the paradigm shift and an alternative to the public education system.

"Parents who request to have their child/children homeschooled for the new school year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should write to the board of management of the school in which the student is enrolled to indicate that the child has been approved for homeschooling, and to request that their child's/children's registration at the school be retained. This request should be supported by a certified copy of the approval granted by the Independent Schools Unit for the child to be homeschooled," Burke-Robinson said.