πŸ‡―πŸ‡² Jamaica News

πŸ“° Daily Digest β€” Jamaica
- A new global study links second-hand smoke to nearly 1.7 million deaths each year, a reminder of the risks faced by non-smokers exposed to other people's cigarette smoke. - A documentary about James Bond creator Ian Fleming will premiere at GoldenEye in Jamaica, the property where he wrote many of the famous spy novels. - The case against the captain of the MV Barima has been adjourned again, leaving the matter unresolved for now. - Senator Floyd Daley has raised concerns that staffing shortages are forcing the school for the blind to turn away students who need its services. - In tennis, Elena Rybakina beat Naomi Osaka and will now face Zheng Qinwen in the US Open quarter-finals.

NWA partners with Waze to provide real-time traffic updates, roadworks information

Jamaican motorists can now bypass traffic nightmares using real-time government data, following a landmark partnership between the National Works Agency (NWA) and global navigation giant Waze. The NWA announced the partnership on its social media platform X on Monday. Waze is a free, crowd-sourced GPS navigation app for smartphones and car displays that provides real-time driving directions, live traffic updates, and community-reported road hazards.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· culture en

Mother gets three months in prison for failing to report daughter's sexual abuse by husband

A 59-year-old woman, who is a health worker employed at a Corporate Area hospital, was on Monday sentenced in the St Catherine Parish Court to three months in prison for failing to report the sexual abuse of her underage daughter by her husband to the authorities. The case against her husband, who is charged with having sex with a person under the age of 16, is still before the St Catherine Circuit Court. The wife, who was charged with failure to report child abuse, pleaded guilty in July and was out on bail until her sentencing on Monday.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Education Minister reports decline in teacher resignations

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, has announced a decline in teacher resignations this year compared with 2025 She confirmed that fewer than 300 teachers submitted resignations between July and August, which she noted is traditionally the peak period for educator departures. β€œThat is less than last year. So we actually have less resignations in the system,” Morris Dixon said.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· politics en

COOPERS PEN SCHOOL BLUES

WESTERN BUREAU: Of the 25 school-age children whose homes were bulldozed during a recent demolition exercise in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, only seven ventured out for the start of the new school year on Monday, as displaced families struggled to prepare them for classes. When The Gleaner visited the community on Monday morning, residents said 18 of the children who would normally have returned to school had been relocated to stay with relatives in other areas, creating uncertainty about when – or whether – they will be able to resume classes.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

COOPERS PEN SCHOOL BLUES - Majority of 25 displaced children miss first day of new academic year

WESTERN BUREAU: Of the 25 school-age children whose homes were bulldozed during a recent demolition exercise in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, only seven ventured out for the start of the new school year on Monday, as displaced families struggled to prepare them for classes. When The Gleaner visited the community on Monday morning, residents said 18 of the children who would normally have returned to school had been relocated to stay with relatives in other areas, creating uncertainty about when – or whether – they will be able to resume classes.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

A new dawn - Hopes high as Hydel Cumberland High embarks on win-win mission

Principal of the newly created Hydel Cumberland High School in St Catherine, Carlon Pitt, said the institution is already seeing the benefits of the merger, and is focused on moving forward as it enters the new academic year. The two St Catherine-based high schools, Hydel and Cumberland, were merged over the summer holidays to consolidate resources in what stakeholders have labelled as a win-win for both schools.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Two primary schools merged, 3 closed

The Government is exploring closing and merging more schools across Jamaica as a means of maximising resources and infrastructure, Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon has indicated. β€œWe have to look at it holistically across the country. There are many schools where we have low populations, and many communities where there are less students than the school can accommodate,” she told The Gleaner at the merger ceremony of St Catherine-based high schools Hydel and Cumberland.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Western schools reopen as rehab work continues

WESTERN BUREAU: Schools across western Jamaica reopened on Monday for the 2026-2027 academic year despite some still needing extensive repairs to restore their hurricane-ravaged compounds. Dr Lavern Stewart, the newly installed principal at Herbert Morrison Technical High School in Montego Bay, St James, told The Gleaner that a special effort was made to ensure that the school would be ready on Monday. Having been heavily impacted by Hurricane Melissa last October, 18 of its classrooms and its canteen and tuck shop are still undergoing repairs.

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NET rebuilding schools for future resilience

In acknowledging the unease, particularly among those in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, the National Education Trust (NET) is reaffirming the unwavering pledge of the Build Back Better programme to provide comprehensive infrastructure support to school environments in order to improve educational delivery. The programme is aimed at bolstering what is being rebuilt beyond general repairs – a programme running through to 2030 β€œwhere, critically, we can strengthen facilities structurally”, says Latoya Harris-Ghartey, executive director of NET.

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STETHS built to bounce back

To reopen after the devastation to its infrastructure almost a year ago as a result of Hurricane Melissa is a tale that reflects the adopted theme of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS). β€œWe’re never beaten until the end of the game,” says principal Keith Wellington. The school sports teams’ tagline is also a mark of resilience that reflects the very character of the institution, he says, and one that has increasingly been embraced over the years by the various stakeholders.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Schools must follow repair protocols – education minister

Education Minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon is urging schools not to undertake repairs outside the Ministry of Education’s established protocols as the ministry awaits a second report on the condition of Balcombe Drive Primary and Junior High School in Kingston. Morris Dixon said the reports are needed to properly assess the school’s condition before any repair work is authorised. The minister was responding to questions from reporters yesterday after unveiling a monument to twin Hydel and Cumberland high schools in Portmore, St Catherine.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· politics en

JP Farms extends education support to Coleraine Pines students

JP Farms has expanded its longstanding educational support programme beyond the children of its employees, awarding grants to three students from the neighbouring Coleraine Pines community as they prepare to begin their secondary-school journey. The inaugural Coleraine Pines Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Grant Presentation was held on August 27, with the initiative marking a further extension of the company’s relationship with the community closest to its operations.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

J$1.5m lifeline for children of tourism workers

WESTERN BUREAU: As thousands of children returned to classrooms across Jamaica yesterday, some sons and daughters of tourism workers were doing so against a very different backdrop – their parents remain off the job months after Hurricane Melissa. The S Hotel Foundation has stepped in with a J$1.5-million back-to-school grant programme targeting children of tourism workers whose properties remain closed and who have been without their regular salaries.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Growth & Jobs | JBDC urges MSMEs to build export-ready systems

As Jamaica seeks to strengthen export performance, local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are being encouraged to focus not only on obtaining certifications for overseas markets but also on building the systems needed to remain competitive once they enter. The call comes as Jamaica earned US$547.4 million from exports between January and April 2026, compared with US$2.50 billion spent on imports during the same period.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Bath Primary principal helps three mothers pass CSEC English

Three mothers in the quiet community of Bath, St Thomas are celebrating academic success after passing this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English A examination under the guidance of the principal of their children’s school. The women were coached by Bath Primary School Principal Devmarie Blake-Brown, who provided free lessons and secured sponsorship to cover their examination fees. All three earned passing grades, securing grades 1, 2, and 3, and say the achievement will serve as a springboard to further academic and personal growth.

jamaica-gleaner.com Β· world en

Jamaican leaders condemn violence at West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn

Jamaican community leaders in New York are condemning the violence that marred this year’s West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn, while calling for collective action to ensure the major Caribbean cultural celebration remains safe. Dr Karren Dunkley, co-founder and president of the Jamaica Rising Day Parade, says Caribbean people must be able to gather, celebrate and enjoy themselves without fear that someone will be injured or lose their life because another person chooses violence.

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Daley concerned as staffing shortages reportedly force school for blind to turn away students

Daley has voiced concern over reports that a school for blind students is turning away applicants. Staffing shortages are said to be the reason, leaving the school without enough people to cover its places. The reports have raised questions about how such a specialized service is being resourced. For families who depend on the school, the shortfall means real uncertainty.

jamaicaobserver.com Β· world en

Shootings, stabbings mar Brooklyn West Indian Day Parade

The annual West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn was marred by a series of shootings and stabbings on Monday, despite heightened security measures deployed by the New York Police Department. Three people were shot in two separate incidents near the parade route in Crown Heights shortly after 4:00 pm. Police say a 24-year-old man was shot in the buttocks near Nostrand Avenue and St John’s Place. A person was taken into custody and a firearm recovered. The victim was hospitalised and is expected to recover.

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