South Coast News

The Ministry of Educationhas been caught flatfootedfollowing the release of the

2010 GSAT examinations results. Efforts by the Ministry at the pri-

mary level to upgrade the perform-ance of student have bourn fruit,with overall GSAT results this yearrecording an overall 7% increase.This has let to a higher number ofstudents achieving scores that wouldplace then in one of the traditionalhigh schools.

Unfortunately, the Ministry ofEducation has apparently not takenany concrete steps to increase theavailable spaces in these schools.This has resulted in many studentswith above-average grades beingplaced in less prestigious highschools, much to the consternationof their parents. The Ministry is nowattempting damage control.

According to Minister ofEducation, Hon. Andrew Holness,his Ministry is moving to addressthe space issues that have arisen inthe secondary education sector, due

to the higher performancein the Grade SixAchievement Test(GSAT).

"The Ministry is lookingat this situation, and webelieve that there are solu-tions to it. Some of thosesolutions rest in theMinistry taking certainactions, but it also rests inthe society and our parentsbeing willing to give someof our non-traditionalschools, a second chance,"he said.

Speaking at a press con-ference, held at JamaicaHouse on June 21, Mr.Holness said that, "it isgoing to become a night-mare for the Ministry of

Education to place students, as morestudents perform above the aver-age."

The Minister pointed out that amajor problem is that the top 20 pre-ferred schools have among them, atotal of 4,720 places, but that some24,239 parents chose these schools,while the top 10 schools have 2,665places available, with 15,000 par-ents choosing these schools as theirchildren's choice.

"If the limited preferred placesremain fixed, what you will be see-ing is that a student who would haveclaimed a place in a preferredschool, with a certain grade, cannotdo so now with that grade anymore,"he added.

This however is cold comfort toparents who have invested time andmoney in ensuring their children'ssuccess at the GSAT level withhopes of them getting one of those4,720 places.

The mindset against non-tradition-al and upgraded high schools isunderstandable. Many see them as

being nothing more than the sameold secondary schools that havebeen given a new name, a fact bournout by the lack of resources at manyof these institutions.

"Our policy is successful at theprimary school level. We are seeinggreater interest from the parents,teachers and the community, andthat is resulting in better perform-ances. At the high school level how-ever, we need to sustain that,"Minister Holness said.

However the lack of investmentin non-traditional and upgrade highschools by government make thissomething of a pipe dream.Case in point is the Mile Gully HighSchool in Manchester which, tenyears after being upgraded, onlyrecently received a science laborato-ry, and this only through the effortsof the Mutual Building Societies

Foundation (MBSF) under itsCentres of Excellence programme.

A shortage of properly trainedteaching staff and inadequateresources also play a role in theseschools clinging to the same old cur-riculum that directs graduates to lowlevel, low paying jobs.

The current economic crisisplaguing the country restrictsincreased investment in education,therefore limiting any additionalplaces at traditional high schools.The Ministry is in the short term, isentering into partnership with pri-vate institutions to provide addition-al places for GSAT students.

In addition, Mr. Holness stressedthat the Ministry is also working incollaboration with its partners, inmaking non-traditional schools pre-ferred, a task which will take yearsto achieve as parents, students and

the society in general cling to theage-old stigma of the 'good' schoolinstead of focusing on good educa-tion.

Despite the challenges, somenon-traditional and upgraded highschools are charting increased aca-demic results. The Centres ofExcellence programme of the MBSFis playing an important role in bet-tering standards at these schools.

A joint project between theJamaica National and the VictoriaMutual Building Societies, the foun-dation is geared at transforming thedelivery of education in non-tradi-tional high schools, through aninvestment of $100 million.

The program which began in2008, seeks to transform eightschools across the island. It is slatedto end in 2012.

Shereido Carter

June 21 - 27, 2010 • [email protected]• A community newspaper serving the parishes of Manchester and St. Elizabeth

$50US trade delegation visits Jamaica

Ministry of Education a victim of it own success?

Page 4

Education Minister, Andrew Holness

2008 Press Assn. of JamaicaDouble Awardee

Still/Moving Multi-media Ltd. ResearchAssistant ShereidoCarter, presents acopy of the 2009-2010 ManchesterBusiness Directory toRick Wade, senioradviser and deputychief of staff to U.S.Commerce SecretaryGary Locke.

Mr. Wade lead adelegation of sixDepartment ofCommerce officialsand seven small andmedium-sized U.S.businesses on a trademission to Jamaica insearch of new busi-ness opportunities between both countries. The presentation took place at a function inside the atriumof the US Embassy on Thursday, June 17, 2010. (See story on Page 4)

Prime Minister, the Hon. BruceGolding, has said that theCaribbean region is nowhere near

where it should be in terms of environ-mental protection, although the level ofawareness is much higher than it was 20to 30 years ago.

Mr. Golding bemoaned the fact that thegreatest threat to the environment in theregion, comes from the creeping degrada-tion caused by global warming, to whichthe Caribbean contributes very little but

which places itmost at risk.

"We arenowhere nearwhere we needto be. Thereare huge defi-ciencies thatneed to be

addressed, our institutional capacity isweak, our enforcement practices are not asrigorous as they ought to be," he admitted.

Mr. Golding was giving the main addressat the opening ceremony of the fifth bienni-al Caribbean Environmental Forum andExhibition (CEF-5), at the Rose Hall Resortin Montego Bay, St. James on Monday,June 21.

He pointed out that the measures requiredto ensure sound environmental manage-

m e n trequire sub-s t a n t i a lf i n a n c i a lresources tosecure pro-f e s s i o n a lexpertise, toa p p l yappropriatetechnologyand imple-ment then e c e s s a r yadaptationand mitiga-tion strate-gies andprojects.

"We, allof us, wres-tle constant-ly with thetension and

conflict between our develop-ment needs and sound environ-mental practices," he stated,arguing that regional policymakers do not have the luxury ofchoosing between the two.

He said that there is a need totry and strike the right balancebetween development projectsthat will provide employmentand necessary foreign exchange,and environmental protection.. Prime Minister Golding ques-tioned how the small nationstates of the Caribbean couldraise their voices so that, togeth-er, they are loud enough to beheard by the developed nations,in whose hands and in whoseactions, the future of the globalenvironment rests.

He said that the countries ofthe region remain "terribly dis-appointed" at the outcome ofthe Copenhagen discussions held inDecember 2009.

"The Copenhagen Accord, which is apolitical statement, not a legally bindingagreement, fell far short of the robust,global climate policy framework that wehad hoped for," he declared.

He explained that, while the Accordcalls for significant cuts in global emis-sions, each country is left to determine itsown cuts on a voluntary basis.

Mr. Golding went on to commend theleadership of Grenada, as the chiefspokesperson for the developing countriesat the Copenhagen talks, for their stead-fastness in representing small island statesand articulating their demands for targetsand commitments for their survival and tosupport their sustainable development.

2 MANCHESTER & SOUTH COAST NEWS June 21 - 27, 2010

SOUTH COASTNEWS

Unit 2- 10 Ward Ave.Mandeville, Manchester

Tel: 305-0435 (Claro)381-3564 (Digicel) 531-4785 (LIME)

[email protected]

Editor Clive Williams

WritersHoward HendriksShereido Carter

PhotographersClive Williams

Phillip LemonteCarl Levy

Jessica Williams

Special thanks to the JamaicaInformation Service

Prime Minister, Hon Bruce Golding delivering the main address at the officialopening ceremony of the Fifth Biennial Caribbean Environmental Forum andExhibition at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay on Monday, June 21.

Prime Minister, Honourable Bruce Golding (centre) introducing Chairman ofthe Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Robert Russell toPrime Minister of St. Lucia, Hon Stephenson King, (left) at the Fifth BiennialCaribbean Environmental Forum and Exhibition which was held at the RoseHall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay from June 21-25

PM says region lagging in environmental protection

The recent announcement ofthe south coast being tar-geted for mass tourism

development has sent 'shock-waves' to those of us who havenurtured this area and with pridemarketed it as a unique experi-ence with its fragile eco-systems,endemic plants and birds, croco-diles, rivers, wetlands, turtles,farming and fishing communities.

A South Coast SustainableDevelopment plan was signed off onsome years ago by many of the southcoast stakeholders who all wanted tosee their area developed with thelocal people as entrepreneurs and tonot create another north coast style

of tourism. The plan called for low density

development, protection of the natu-ral environment, the heritage andculture and to make it the “attrac-tion centre” of Jamaica with someboutique hotels, villas, cottages,guest houses and a few large hotelsof not more than 300 rooms. We didnot want to create a resort atmos-phere as we had a strong desire toretain the natural rustic setting thatso many visitors are now seekingmore than ever before.

I suppose we became complacentin knowing we had a plan whichincluded the public and private sec-tors, to protect us for the future. But

alas, this 'bubble' of com-placency burst last weekwhen we read and saw onCVM TV the news thatthe Ministers of Tourismand Mining were touringthe 3000 acre Font Hillproperty with Fiesta, theSpanish hotel group, toconsider developing it asa large-scale resort with agolf course, marina, con-vention centre and one oftheir large resort hotelswith over 800 rooms!

Words cannot expresshow astounded, disap-pointed and disrespectedall of us felt when weheard that Font Hill wasbeing considered for sucha development withoutany prior notification, dis-

cussion or consultation with thesouth coast stakeholders. But what is being considered isnot restricted to one resort hotel. Inthe Daily Gleaner dated May 8 weread that the Spanish Fiesta Group isnot just interested in doing a largescale development but wouldrequire an airport as the other air-ports are too far away! An airporton the south-west coast woulddestroy the area's tranquility andaffect its birdlife and the internation-ally-known bird watching marketwhich can be more developed than itis.

We have also read (April 23) thatMinister Robertson says "The Font

Hill property is ideal fora high-end tourism andnew town development,with beach front golfcourses, and air-strips.… There is going to be agreater demand for hous-ing … .” In other words,the Government wishesto urbanize this preciousand unique area.

It makes no sense toturn a tranquil and envi-

ronmentally precious natural areainto yet another sprawling, noisy,urban environment when we allknow that we have allowed ourexisting towns to deteriorate, andhave not found the means to restoretheir quality of life and environment.The south coast has always beenacknowledged as an essential con-trast and counterpoint to the northcoast tourism model, and its impor-tance in maintaining Jamaica's dis-tinctiveness and competitive edge isbecoming ever greater.

The role of government in tourism Anita Mendiratta, of CNN TaskGroup in August 12 2009 wrote anarticle on the role of government intourism which said, “for all the richrewards of tourism there are alsogreat risks - and these risks are real,immediate, penetrating and poten-tially irreversible: risks to the envi-ronmental sustainability, risks togreater economic stability, risks tolocal culture, risks to social valuesystems to name a few” She contin-ues to say “ simply put, in buyinginto the tourism phenomena, a desti-nation can face the risk of selling itssoul!”

Therefore, for the tourism sectorto truly work for Font Hill, for thedestination and for the south coast -for the good of Jamaica in the future,clear, visionary, focused leadershipby government is vital and equallyimportant, respect for the carefullydeveloped master plan and SouthCoast Sustainable DevelopmentPlan is fundamental.

If the strategic planning that hasbeen done is now disregarded, thesouth coast risks having its doorsthrown open to the world and itssoul sold. What makes the southcoast unique and precious to its citi-zens, to Jamaica and to internationalvisitors - its cohesive and caringcommunity, its character and its cul-ture - will be exchanged for morefaceless and ultimately unsustain-able development.

Anita Mendiratta ends her articleby saying “Just as a conductor isresponsible for carefully guidinghis/her musicians towards the cre-ation of musical magic as one unitedforce, it is the government who mustconfidently lead the people of thedestination's tourism community,providing them the direction andinspiration they need to live and lovethe destination they call home - andproudly share with audiences aroundthe world whom they know willtruly love their art”

We on the south coast passionate-ly love our home and lifestyle. Weare eager to share it with visitorswho want the unique communityexperience of our many diverse vil-lages and natural environment andvaried attractions, but we are notwilling to sacrifice the irreversibledegradation of our natural assets andculture in order to attract visitors.Investment must also be on theterms as outlined in the South CoastSustainable Development plan.

We are expecting the governmentin association with JAMPRO to seeksuitable investors in keeping withthe established guidelines and localstakeholders' vision of a sustainableproduct. Other countries in theCaribbean like Costa Rica, Belize,and St. Lucia are developing a moreresponsible tourism product. Thesouth coast is the last region inJamaica to be developed for tourism- please give us a chance to developour south coast the responsible way!Only this way, can the south coastretain its unique character and long-term earning power.

Contributed by: Diana McIntyre-Pike, BSc, ODChairman/CEO Countrystyle CommunityTourism NetworkPresident, International Institute for

Peace through Tourism (IIPT) CaribbeanFeedback welcomed to:

[email protected]

3MANCHESTER & SOUTH COAST NEWS June 21 - 27, 2010

Gov’t should develop the south coast ofJamaica in a responsible way! - McIntyre-Pike


Mr. Rick Wade, senioradviser and deputy chiefof staff to U.S.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke,recently lead a delegation of sixU.S. Department of Commerce

officials and seven small and medi-um-sized U.S. businesses on a trademission to Jamaica.

The trade mission was gearedtowards giving participating U.S.companies the opportunity to meetwith potential business partners andnetwork with key Jamaican govern-ment and industry officials. To thisend, the delegation met with KarlSamuda, Minister of Industry andCommerce and Junior IndustryMinister Michael Stern.

Participants in the delegationoffered a range of consumer goods,including products for the construc-tion and automotive sectors, to localprivate sector buyers and governmentagencies.

Participating US companiesincluded Atlanta Global Resources,Inc. from Tucker, Ga.; AtriumShutters (Global ProtectionProducts) out of Davie, Fla.; CMDTrailer Sales & Leasing Inc. fromJacksonville, Fla.; Fast Enterprises,LLC - Boise, Idaho; Magna-Bon II,LLC - Okeechobee, Fla.; MortonSupplies, Inc. - Morton, Ill. andPalladio Beauty Group - Hollywood,Fla.

Trade missions are an importantcomponent to achieving the goals ofPresident Obama's National Export

Initiative, which aims to double U.S.exports within five years to supportthe creation of two million jobs. Thismission will help open doors for U.S.firms interested in entering orexpanding their presence in theCaribbean region.

The United States is the largesttrading partner with Jamaica. In2009, U.S. exports to Jamaicatotalled $1.85 billion while in turn,Jamaica sold exports of nearly $560million to the U.S. The Caribbeanregion is the third-largest export mar-ket for U.S. manufactured goods inLatin America, behind Mexico andBrazil.

The trade mission was sponsoredby the Department of Commerce'sInternational Trade Administration,the premier resource for Americancompanies competing in the globalmarketplace, following a similar visitto the Dominican Republic.

On Thursday, June 17, a receptionwas held inside the atrium of the USEmbassy on Old Hope Road inKingston that brought together mem-bers of the delegation and local busi-ness leaders. Here are highlights ofthat event.

US trade delegation visits Jamaica

(l-r) Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Michael Stern; a representative of Sandals Resorts, President ofthe Small Business Association of Jamaica, Delma James; Glen Christian, Managing Director of Cari-Med Ltd. and JamaicaChamber of Commerce President Milton Samuda listen attentively to US Embassy Chargé d'affaires, Isiah Parnell while attendinga reception at the US Embassy on June 17 for members of a US trade delegation which visited Jamaica last week.

The reception was an ideal forum for networking.

Ambassador Parnell greets Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry andCommerce while trade delegation leader Rick Wade and State MinisterMichael Stern look on.

Rick Wade (left) caught in animated conversation with Sagicor’sRichard Byles and Allison Peart of Ernst & Young.

Ambassador Parnell and his daughter joined AmericanChamber of Commerce in Jamaica (Amcham) ExecutiveDirector Becky Stockhausen and trade delegation leader RickWade in welcoming guests to the reception.

(l-r) Chartered Accountant and President of the Small Business Associationof Jamaica, Dalma James; Lawyer and President of the Jamaica Chamberof Commerce, Milton Samuda and CEO of Cari-Med Ltd., Glen Christian,exchange ideas at the reception.

Shereido Carter

Milton Williams Photos

Trade delegation leader Rick Wade while address-ing the gathering, spoke of the strong economic tiesbetween the US and Jamaica.


Rain and fog caused by a Tropical Depression restricts visibility at the intersection of New Green andCaledonia Roads one recent afternoon.

Rainy day in Mandeville


PCJ consultant saysswitch to LNG is timelyThe Petroleum Corporation

of Jamaica's (PCJ) Consul-tant on the Government's

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)project, Joseph Fossella, has saidthat it is an opportune time for thecountry to take advantage of theabundant supply of the "costeffective" energy alternative.

The Ministry has been working tosource cheaper alternative fuel, pri-marily LNG, and is in the process ofimplementing an LNG Project,aimed at diversifying the country'senergy source and improving energyefficiency and security.

Speaking at a press conference atthe Ministry of Energy and Mining,New Kingston, on Monday (June14), Mr. Fossella noted that therewas a shortage of LNG in 2005/06,but the situation has since changed,with reserves currently in abun-dance.

"It is timely for Jamaica now thatsupply is available that wasn't avail-able beforehand, at a competitivecost. So what we are looking at, isgrabbing on to that supply in theshort-term, so that we can get along-term, energy security forJamaica," he said.

Mr. Fossella said that the AtlanticBasin - Trinidad and Tobago,Venezuela, North Africa and WestAfrica - are the areas that are beinglooked at, as they are rich in LNG.He also cited Nigeria, Angola andAlgeria as well as Peru, because ofthe opening up of the Panama Canalenabling larger ships, as additionalLNG sources.

"So we have a fairly rich mining

field to look at LNG supply, with theinternational oil companies, portfo-lio managers and, in some cases,commodity traders. We are lookingat a whole portfolio of potential sup-plies and traders, so that we can getthe best opportunity and the bestprice for LNG, on a long term basis,for Jamaica," he said.

Mr. Fossella said that, in additionto the cost of LNG, an 'attractive"aspect of the project is the benefitsaccruable to Jamaica through infra-structural re-tooling for power gen-eration.

Energy andMining Minister,Hon. JamesRobertson, whoalso pointed to the

abundance of LNG suppliers, dis-closed that the Ministry is currentlypiloting a procurement process forthe fuel, which is expected to becompleted "very soon."

In addition to being a cheapersource of fuel, LNG is odourless,colourless, non-toxic and non-corro-sive. Jamaica began exploring thepossibility of natural gas as an alter-native fuel in 2001, under an initia-tive spearheaded by the thenMinistry of Industry, Commerce,Science and Technology, PhillipPaulwell.

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The Project for the Advancement ofChildhood Education (PACE)Canada has been lauded for adopt-

ing 281 basic schools in Jamaica, which rep-resent more than 10 per cent of the coun-try's 2,125 basic schools.

"PACE Canada must be congratulated forthis," said Dr. Lola Ramocan, an Early

Childhood Development (ECD) Specialist."You have been a mighty organization of

ECD educators, child development specialists,concerned citizens, persons with a vision and aheart for ECD, both here and abroad," sheadded.

Dr. Ramocan, who was the keynote speakerat PACE Canada's annual fundraising event in

Toronto, Canada, recently, said that thetremendous contribution of the organizationdemonstrates commitment and unwaveringsupport for early childhood development.

Highlighting some recent developments inthe early childhood sector in Jamaica, Dr.Ramocan said a more integrated approach isbeing taken towards early childhood, as manyhave come to realize that the first five years ofthe child's health, nutrition, play and stimula-tion needs are crucial for childhood develop-ment.

This new integrated approach has led tocloser collaboration between the Ministries ofHealth and Education, supported by theMinistry of Labour and Social Security.

A national parenting policy is to be finalisedthis year, and will address important areas ofchild development, such as child shifting,child protection, child abuse, barrel children,single parenting and the critical roles offathers and mothers, she said.

The sector is also faced with many chal-lenges, noted Dr. Ramocan, including lack offinancial resources, lack of stimulating materi-als, lack of reading materials in the home,social and economical inequities and the highincidence of crime and violence.Immediate Past President of PACE CanadaMrs. Lorna King was acknowledged for hercontribution to the organization.

An evaluation of the very successful RovingCaregiver's Programme, which has receivedUNICEF's highest award, shows that millionsof dollars could be saved if children were

stimulated early.The new president of PACE Canada, Mary

Anne Chambers, noted that in its 23 years ofexistence, the organization has helped close to50,000 basic school children.

She thanked the non-Jamaican supporterswho have helped over the years, for recogniz-ing the importance of supporting the childrenof Jamaica, as well as the Jamaican supporterswhose pride, love and conscience "cause us tohold the rock close to our hearts."

Mrs. Chambers told the audience that it isimperative to continue the support by becom-ing a member of the organization, adopting abasic school or making a financial donation toa school.

"If we truly care, we must invest in Jamaica'sfuture. That is what we do when we invest inthe children of Jamaica, and there has neverbeen a more important time to invest in thechildren of Jamaica," she said.

She introduced the 2010/2011 Board ofDirectors comprised of - Immediate PastPresident Lorna King; Diana Burke; Dr.Vincent Conville; Charmaine Denton; TotlynDouglas; Dr. Fred Kennedy; Dr. RosemaryMoodie; Donette Chin-Loy; Ingrid Lawrence;Dr. Vandra Masemann; Mardi South; BeverleyThompson; and Christine Williams.

Pacesetter Awards were presented to GraceLyons and Laureen Lee; while the HelenSissons Children's Story Award was presentedto actress and singer Saskia Garel. AmandaChance received the Appelt Scholarship.

The Ministry of Education is seekingto help increase the number of pre-ferred high school places, by creat-

ing Centres of Excellence, with at least sixsuch model institutions slated to be in placeby September 2011.

"For those schools that are performingbelow the accepted standard of the Ministry,we will bring them under the concept of theCentre of Excellence. We have one such cen-tre operating now, which is BelmontAcademy," Mr. Holness explained at a pressconference, held at Jamaica House on June 21.

He pointed out that all new schools will beoperated under this scheme of management."The Principal and administrative leadership

of the schools will be placed under a perform-ance based contract. This is a new thrusttowards improving the performance of ourschools, so that we can create more preferredspaces to accommodate those students who areimproving their performance at GSAT andwho deserve a preferred place in our educationsystem," the Minister said.

The legislative authority for Centres ofExcellence has been completed, and is to go toParliament for approval. The schools to comeunder this concept include three existing highschools, which are among the 30 that havealready been evaluated by the NationalEducation Inspectorate, which operates out ofthe Ministry.

Meanwhile, three new schools, includingMansfield High (St. Ann), will be opened inSeptember, and two others to be sited inManchester and St. Catherine, are scheduledto come on stream in September 2011.

Mr. Holness said that the "failure" or "fail-ing" of a school is defined through an objec-tive evaluation of the schools, carried out bythe Inspectorate. For the schools that havealready been inspected, a decision is to betaken as to what kinds of interventions will bemade by placing them under the administra-tion of a Centre of Excellence.

The Minister explained that the Ministrywould seek to enable and assist schools thatare underperforming, to manage and address

issues that might be affecting them, such asresources, lack of support, and location chal-lenges.

He stressed the importance of accountabili-ty in the schools.

"For too long our education system has beenbased on expectations. We expect the teachersto turn up, we expect them to deliver the cur-riculum fully, we expect parents to play a partand we expect Principals to lead the school inan appropriate manner - but we were not real-ly checking. Now we are examining theschools, to see what they are doing, to seewhether or not they meet the standards."


PACE Canada lauded for adopting Jamaican basic schools

MOE embraces Centres of Excellence concept

President of PACE Canada, Mary Anne-Chambers (second right) presents a PACESETTER Award to GraceLyons (second left) at the organization's recent fundraising event, Strawberry Tea. Looking on are Jamaica'sConsul General to Toronto, George Ramocan (left) and Dr. Lola Ramocan (right) who was the keynotespeaker at the event.

The Ministry of Education on June23 officially launched the EducationSystem Transformation

Programme (ESTP), which will givegreater focus to the reform of the systems,business processes and quality of the sec-tor.

The ESTP is to focus on supporting a mod-ernised and transformed system of gover-nance, management, and improved accounta-bility within the education system so as toimprove outcome.

"The objective is to remove the quality gap.It is not just about talking (about) standards;we have to document standards, and part ofthe approach now is that everything that wedo in education, there must be a standard thatis set for it, documented (and) widely circu-lated within the Ministry, and our schools,"Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness,said at the launch held at the Hilton Kingston.

He said that once standards are set, the nextstep must be to enforce these, throughaccountability.

"We have to move from a system of expec-tations to a system of accountability. Formany years we took it for granted. We arelooking for equity, but to get equity, we haveto go through quality, standards, and then wecome to accountability," Mr. Holness said.

Meanwhile, Director of the ESTP, JeanHastings explained that transformation of theeducation sector actually began in 2005, withthe work of the Education TransformationTeam (ETT), and was focused particularly onliteracy, numeracy, and behaviour manage-ment.

She said the work of the ETT had begun tomanifest, with the establishment of the GradeFour Literacy Test as a national exam, and theup to seven per cent improvement in thisyear's Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

However, she said, with the progress madein policy development and reform through thelegwork of the ETT, there was need to deliv-er services in a particular way, to make thesystem work. This will be facilitated throughthe ESTP.

Miss Hastings pointed out that since theETT began its work, some $7 billion wasspent on the reform of the sector up to the endof the last financial year, with $6 billion ofthat sum invested in infrastructure.

The ESTP is being funded by the WorldBank and Inter-American Development Bank(IDB), along with allocations from theGovernment of Jamaica, with consulting sup-port provided by the Cabinet Office.

In his remarks, IDB country representative,Gerrard Johnson said that "what is beautifulabout this (education transformation) pro-gramme is that it is independent of the politi-cal process, or ownership by any one interna-

tional agency. The fact that this is a pro-gramme that has spanned many years, andenjoys priority regardless of who is in power,that's worth noting."

Special Representative of the World Bank,Badrul Haque, in his remarks, noted that theESTP, along with initiatives such as theProgramme for Advancement ThroughHealth and Education (PATH), will ensurethat the future labour force is productive andresilient in the global environment.

He said that successive governments haveplaced importance on education over theyears. "Truly, you have a bipartisan educationstrategy in Jamaica. From the World Bankperspective, Jamaica has made tremendousstrides in education, particularly in improvingaccess to education from early childhood totertiary levels," he stated.

Education System Transformation Programme launched


Icame across this beautiful bucket of cher-ries while visiting a friend in Junction, St.Elizabeth recently, another example of the

bounty of a parish popularly called the‘breadbasket’ of Jamaica.

Later, as we enjoyed a tall glass of freshly-blended cherry juice, my mind drifted back to arecent purchase I made in Kingston of a can ofMango juice; not because I was thirsty, butbecause I was amazed that someone would haveimported such a product into the country fromthe Phillippines, which is something like 12,000miles away, when we have the same type of man-goes stoning dog in Jamaica.

In fact, we could even go one better with exot-ic juices like the same cherry I was enjoying, aswell as others like guava, passion fruit, ripe and

green june plum, otahiti apple, sweet cup andmany others.

We Jamaicans do not seem to understand theprinciple of creating value-added products forthe export market, which can ride the wave ofname-recognition created by our sportsmen andwomen, our beauty queens and scholars as wellas the two million tourists who visit the countryeach year. Instead, our farmers produce on wavesof gluts and shortages which will forever keepthem in poverty.

No proper research is done to identify exportmarkets for unique products that can only comefrom Jamaica or products that taste betterbecause they come from our beloved country.We just try to grow more and more, then watchthe fruits of our labour rot in the fields.

Cherry-obaby


The Auto Zone

Debate on the six crimebills before Parliamentwas postponed in the

House of Representatives onTuesday, June 15 as theGovernment and the Oppositionagreed to hold talks to arrive at a"workable agreement" on thelegislation.

"I think it is the feeling of theHouse that this would be the bestposition. Given the controversialnature of the Bills, this would be thebest approach to give a unified sig-nal," said Leader of GovernmentBusiness in the Lower House, Hon.Andrew Holness.

The six Bills are: an Act to amendthe Bail Act; an Act to furtheramend the Firearms Act; an Act toamend the Offences Against thePerson Act; an Act to amend theParole Act; an Act to make interimprovision in relation to the grant ofbail in specified circumstances; andan Act to make interim provisionextending the powers of arrest anddetention under Sections 50B and50F of the Constabulary Force Act.

Debate in the billsstarted on June 2, withPrime Minister, Hon.Bruce Golding, callingon the Members ofParliament to support,what he described, as a"necessary response toa problem that has tobe dealt with," even ashe acknowledged thatsome of the measuresmay be contentious.

One of the billsbeing considered, theAct to make interimprovision in relation tothe grant of bail inspecified circum-stances, proposes thata person charged withviolent or certain drug-

related offences should be entitledto be granted bail only after theexpiration of a period of 60 dayscommencing on the date on whichthe person is first charged, and onlyif the person satisfies the court thatbail should be granted.

Members have also raised con-cern about the move to extend thepowers of arrest and detentionunder sections 50B and 50F of theConstabulary Force Act, so that aperson can be detained for up to 72hours, instead of 24 hours, withoutbeing charged or taken before amagistrate.

It also provides for the arrest anddetention of a person outside of thelocality of a curfew or cordon, if adivisional commander or a memberof the Jamaica Constabulary Force(JCF) at the rank of AssistantCommissioner, is satisfied thatthere is reasonable ground for sus-pecting that the person is about tocommit, or has committed a crimewithin the area of the curfew or cor-don.

They typically look like TVtransmission towers butthey can also resemble flag-

poles, huge cactus plants and eventall palm trees.

But no matter how they're dis-guised, they're still cell towers.And as they increasingly dot the land-scape, the towers face growing oppo-sition from critics who say they'reugly and unaesthetic misfits that drivedown property values and may beharmful to one's health.

With three major cell phone com-panies competing for market share inJamaica, thousands of these towersare now dotting the local landscapewith many more being erected asAmerican Movil upgrades their net-work ahead of launching service inJamaica. The company has beenaccused of moving too fast in erectingsome of their towers before finalapproval has been given and has alsocome up on resistance from commu-nities which fear the perceived healthhazards of the radiation waves thatthese towers are said to emit. But isthis perceived danger real or just irra-tional fear? Well, the answer to thisquestion seems to depend on who youspeak to.

Opponents of transmission towerswill often quote a 2004 German gov-ernment study which found that peo-ple living within 1300 feet of celltowers had three times the normalcancer risk. Also, a French medicalstudy of people living within 1,000feet of cell towers documented anunusually high level of complaints ofextreme fatigue, memory loss,headaches, sleep disorders, depres-sion, skin problems, hearing loss andcardiovascular problems.

On the other hand, independentstudies conducted in the USA hasfound no conclusive evidence thatlow radio frequency transmissionsfrom cell towers at the levels that areallowed by the FederalCommunications Commission actual-ly harm people. For their part, theAmerican Cancer Society has statedin one report, "we do not have fullinformation on health effects..... inparticular, not enough time haselapsed to permit epidemiologicalstudies." But in today's radioactiveworld, Cell phone towers may be yourleast worry.

People are oftentimes bombardedwith high doses of radiation when thego to the hospital from x-ray and cat-

scan equipment, at the dentist, frompower high transmission lines, fromfallout associated with nuclear acci-dents and explosions which is pickedup by prevailing winds and spreadacross the globe; from microwareovens and even from the increasinglypopular granite countertops found inmany homes today.

For many persons however, it is notthe radiation from cell towers thatthey fear the most. The eyesore thatcell towers create and the resultantdrop in property values is uppermostin their minds. Some mobile compa-nies have attempted to overcome thisproblem by disguising their transmis-sion equipment, but what is alsorequired is early dialogue between thecompanies and citizens to find a com-mon ground and unobtrusive loca-tions for the installation of these tow-ers, which facilate a service that thevast majority of Jamaicans find vital,considering that there are currentlyapproximately 1.5 mobile phones reg-istered in Jamaica for each and everycitizen of the country.

But why are so many towers needed anyway?

The explosion in the erection of cellphone towers is caused by the waywireless telephone systems operate.They work on a different conceptfrom radio transmission systemswhich most people are familiar with,such as television and radio stations.In most types of radio transmissionsystems, the object is to transmit yoursignal as far as possible, in order tomaximize the amount of listeners orviewers you may have.

In cellular systems, the object is totransmit a controlled signal. This isdone to maximize the amount ofchannels that are given to each cellu-lar provider for use. Cellular systemsare assigned a set number of channelsfor a given area, usually around 400.In order to maximize the amount ofcalls/channels per given geographicarea, they break the coverage areainto a series of cells. Each cell cancover anywhere from a one mileradius from the base station in the cityand urban areas, to a 10 mile radius inthe countryside and rural areas.

Usually an arrangement of sevenrepeating cells is used, with 50 or 60channels used per cell. As you move amobile phone between these cells, themobile phone is 'handed off' betweenthe cell sites and channels, being con-trolled by the mobile telephoneswitching office (MTSO), or mobileswitching center (MSC). This makesuse of the most important part of thecellular system, frequency re-use.There are only a limited amount ofchannels available in any cellular sys-tem, and this system makes the samechannel available in different geo-graphic parts of the system, to differ-ent users.Signals are sent back and forthbetween the MTSO and the cell siteover high capacity circuits ormicrowave links. This is known asbackhaul, or the process of bringingthe signal from the switch to and fromthe individual cell site.


Gov’t, Opposition working on Crime Bills

Are cell towers harmful?

Prime Minister Bruce Golding addressing Parliament

The Government has orderedan investigation into the 3.2per cent increase in cement

prices introduced by the CaribbeanCement Company Limited(CCCL), recently.

Minister of Industry, Investmentand Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda,told journalists at a press conferenceat his office, St. Lucia Avenue, NewKingston, on June 15 that theGovernment was extremely con-cerned about the reasons for theincrease and would be conducting athorough investigation into the mat-ter.

"So concerned am I, as the Ministerresponsible for protecting the inter-ests of the consuming public, that Ihave, to date, instructed thePermanent Secretary to formalisewith the Fair Trading Commission, aprocess that will lead to an investiga-tion of the cost structure of theCaribbean Cement Company," hesaid.

"We will be going in there to inves-tigate the pricing structure and howthey arrive at their pricing, becausewhat we are seeking to do is avoidany abuse of the dominant positionthat the company may hold," heexpanded.

He stated that since the companyholds a central position in the market,it is the FTC's responsibility to ensurethat it does not abuse this position.

The Minister also told reporters thatthe announcement of an increase bythe sole manufacturer of Portlandcement in Jamaica came as a shockand disappointment, because all other

indicators suggested the stabilisationof prices rather than an increase.

"What is even more disappointingare the reasons given by the CementCompany for the increase," he added.He noted that CCCL said the priceincrease is to offset higher opera-tional costs, as well as address theissue of stockpiling.

Mr. Samuda said the Governmentwas made to believe that the recentexpansion and improvement in theoperations of the Company wouldhave led to a more efficient organisa-tion, which would in turn lead toreduced costs.

"It was on that basis that they weregiven the kind of encouragement andincentives from the Government thatthey received. And to learn, at thisstage, when all the signs are going inthe right direction to contain costs,which we have seen in the retail area,where prices have stabilised consid-erably and are going down, theCement Company is going to theopposite direction!" he exclaimed.

In the meantime, the Ministerwarned that he would also be watch-ing the movement in the prices ofimported cement to ensure fair com-petition.

"It cannot be that, coincidentally,their prices increase at roughly thesame rate as the Cement Companyhas proposed and at the same time.We will be watching very carefullybecause we don't want any 'tuckingin', we want true competition to existand we want to give the consumersthe best price," he said.

The House ofRepresentatives has) namedthe eight Members of

Parliament, who will sit on a JointSelect Committee to review theProtected Disclosure Bill.

The members are: Daryl Vaz,Michael Stern, Gregory Mair, CliveMullings, Phillip Paulwell, PeterBunting and Dr. Morias Guy. They

will sit jointly with a similar commit-tee appointed by the Senate, to con-sider and report on the Bill.

Commonly referred to as thewhistleblower legislation, theProtected Disclosure Bill is part of anoverall initiative by the Governmentto eradicate corruption, promoteaccountability and transparency, andreduce improper conduct in the

workplace.Justice Minister and Attorney

General, Senator DorothyLightbourne, at the June 18 sitting ofthe Upper House, informed that theGovernment, at the appeal of theOpposition, decided to refer the Billto a committee of Parliament on so asto facilitate public participation andinput.

She said it is the Government'sintention to have the legislationpassed into law by the end of July.

The members of the Upper House,who will sit on the Joint SelectCommittee, are: SenatorsLightbourne, Dwight Nelson, ArthurWilliams, Warren Newby, CaminaJohnson Smith, K.D. Knight, NavelClarke and A.J. Nicholson.

MANCHESTER & SOUTH COAST NEWS June 21 - 27, 2010 11

Gov't to probecement price rise

House names MPs to undertakereview Whistleblower Bill

Local Government elections have been post-poned for at least six months. The elections,which should have been held by June 30 are

now to be held no later than March 30, 2011.Among the reasons given by government for the post-

ponement were: the state of emergency now in effect inthe Corporate Area, which may be extended beyond theinitial prescribed period; the ongoing Local Governmentreform programme, of which significant elements are yetto be put into effect and the proposed establishment ofPortmore as the fifteenth parish, which has not yet beenfinalised.

Speaking in Parliament, Opposition Spokesperson onLocal Government Reform, Colin Fagan, stated that hewas not surprised at the decision to postpone the elec-tions.

"From as early as March this year, I had said that theGovernment was not going to call any Local Governmentelections," Mr. Fagan said.

Leader of Opposition Business in the Lower House andMember of Parliament for St. James South, DerrickKellier, suggested that the establishment of Portmore asthe 15th parish should not be a reason for the postpone-ment of the elections.

"Portmore being designated a Parish can take anotherfive years. Are we saying that until that is done that rea-son will still stand for the continuous seeking of the post-ponement of the elections?" Mr. Kellier said.

In his response, Mr. Montague noted that theGovernment is on record giving a commitment to havingPortmore as the fifteenth parish.

"The redefining of the electoral boundaries is not yetcomplete, and therefore the people of Portmore would beat a disadvantage at this time," Mr. Montague explained.

Local Government elections are normally held everythree years, no later than in the month of June.

Local Government elections put off again

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Karl Samuda (right), respondsto a question raised by a member of the media, during a press conference at his St.Lucia Avenue office, in Kingston, on June 15. At left is Executive Director of theBureau of Standards, Noel Osbourne.

The first line of the article'Call for AfrikanCommunal Self-Help' by

the Editorial Collective of SelfHelp News, caught my attentionand has forced my pen out of itshiatus - a pause which wasbrought about in an effort toreflect on some of what has tran-spired over the past fifty odd yearsin Jamaica and to try and answerthe question “How did we come tobe in this crisis?” as the events ofrecent months unfolded.

The sentence said “African com-munal self-help processes must nowbe refreshed, enhanced and mass-produced…..” It seems that Africansand the people in the Diaspora arealways forced to refresh, enhanceand re-invent themselves almost on adaily basis, as it seems that our livesare deliberately kept in a state offlux.

There was a time when I wasignorant and naïve and could notimagine that after Emancipation,persons could conspire to keep oth-ers in a state of subjugation, wherethey are unable to take full responsi-bility for their own lives and mustdepend on the largesse or generosityof a few in order to subsist. Manyare not even conscious to realize thatthis is their reality-mental slavery.So the stage upon which the DudusDrama was played out, was builtover fifty years ago by visible, yetinvisible hands, that knew exactlywhat they were doing.

To illustrate my point let me takeyou back in time to a non-fictitioustown in South Manchester. The jour-ney underscores the point that ifgiven the chance and if left undis-turbed, Black people can organizetheir communities along lines ofcommunal self-help and self-reliance. But if they are disturbedand uprooted, it becomes virtuallyimpossible for them to settle andbecome independent and self-reliant.

Spiritual law says you reap whatyou sow; so if you sow seeds ofupheaval and discontent and younurture the soil into which they havebeen sown; then you must reap a har-vest of upheaval and discontent,however long ago you planted theseeds.

Cross Keys could easily havebeen described as the capital ofSouth Manchester in its halcyondays; a time during the war years andbefore the political machinery as weknow it today was designed. Todaythis town, like so many other oncevibrant rural towns, can only bedescribed as a sleepy little hamlet,trying valiantly to enter the twenty-first century.

Some of the factors that led to thedemise of this and other rural townsare the coming of the bauxite compa-nies; rural migration to foreign landsand to Kingston seeking job opportu-nities; the now strong reliance onforeign foodstuff and poor politicaldecisions. The decisions were onlypoor because the majority of the peo-ple did not benefit from them, but thefew benefitted tremendously.

Proverbs 29:18 tells us that wherethere is no vision-the people perish.Based on what has transpired inJamaica these past months, it is fairto say that our political, public andprivate sector leaders never had anyvision for the vast majority of thepeople, as far as their upliftment andprogress are concerned.

Mr. Virtue, a very senior citizenwho has lived all his life in this com-munity and who I interviewed,recalled that Cross Keys was self-sufficient and you could buy from apin to an anchor. He described anintricate form of marketing and net-working that interlaced two parishes.The one truck would leave for thetown of Alston in North Clarendonand laden with higglers withClarendon grown foodstuff wouldwend its way back to Manchester.

The higglers would set up a mar-ket in Newport and stay there forabout two hours, selling what theyproduced and buying what they didnot produce. They would close thismarket at the appointed time andmake their way back to Cross Keysin South Manchester and they wouldrepeat the same scenario.

They would close that market andmove on down the hill to the coastand conduct a market in the fishingvillage of Alligator Pond. By lateevening all their produce would besold and they would be laden withfish and foodstuff not grown in their

section of the islandalong with dry goodsto fill their needs.They would returnhome and look for-ward to next week'sadventure, whenfriends would meetand trade andexchange stories andlabrish,

Mr. Virtue said thetown had a market andother thriving busi-nesses, as it was also acentre and meetingplace for markettrucks and deliveryvans plying the southcoast road fromSavannah-la-mar toKingston and back. Inthose days he said,many vehicles did nothave engines thatcould challenge thesteep and treacherousSpur Tree Hill, so thisroad was easier on

man and vehicle.By the early 1950s, the environ-

ment that had nurtured and fosteredfarming, especially among the land-less peasants began to change. Smallfarmers leased or rented parcels ofland from the few large land barons.However, when bauxite was found ineconomic quantities, these landbarons found it more convenient tosell thousands of acres of agricultur-al lands to the then prospecting for-eign bauxite companies. Thesemulti-national corporations found itnecessary to fence and enclose thesehuge parcels of land, even though itwould be years before any of itwould be mined.

The bell began to toll for this wayof life. Without land to rent or lease,many small farmers could not existand they were forced to drift fromthe country life. As if by coinci-dence, the developed world neededan increase in their labour force andthere was an exodus out of Jamaicato these foreign lands, as peoplelooked for opportunities that werenot afforded them in their homeland.

Those who did not go to “foreign”migrated to Kingston and for themost part, swelled the housing stockleft vacant by a middle-class thatwas moving upwards into the newlyestablished suburbs of Kingston, ascars and gasoline became moreaccessible. Those not fortunate torent a room in what was once a one-family home, or a tenement yard,lived in shacks which developed intoslums or shanty towns with nameslike “Back-o-wall” (this one wasbull-dozed, reconstructed andrenamed Tivoli Gardens.)

In his article “Lessons from thesaga of Dudus in Jamaica” HoraceCampbell opens up the possibility ofrevealing the full extent of the cor-ruption of the politics in Jamaica andthe Caribbean. Our political leaders,especially since 1962, have only onevision; which is to see themselves aswealthy as our former colonial mas-ters and living in the great housesand with their 'slaves' living in 'slavevillages' they constructed, nowcalled “garrisons”.

To achieve this wealth, they haveknowingly become puppets for thevisible, yet invisible hands, as theycollaborate with the intelligence,commercial and banking infrastruc-ture of foreign powers and the rulingclass. Due to their lack of vision forthe masses, they are unable to lifttheir people as they climb the socialladder.

Instead, they have created a situ-ation where the loyalty of entireinner-city communities can bebought by anyone prepared to pro-vide basic welfare services thatshould come from taxes collected forthe central state. This urban plighthas been exploited through 'gang-sterism' and violence over the yearsby politicians who were able todeliver 'safe' seats for their politicalparties. Later on this 'job' was takenover by enterprising and highly intel-ligent young men, like Christopher'Dudus' Coke, who emerged as com-munity dons. This sociology ofoppression, backed by bricks, mortarand guns can be read in HoraceCampbell's book 'Rasta andResistance: From Marcus Garvey toWalter Rodney'.

Due to our so-called leaders' lackof vision, the people continue to per-

ish in a struggle that has nowreached proportions that are similarto the period of enslavement. AsCampbell points out, the struggle inJamaica and the Caribbean is a strug-gle for a new form of society. Toachieve this, once again we have tobecome as enterprising as the gener-ations described earlier in the article.

As someone who is deeply inter-ested in community redevelopmentand empowerment, maybe that iswhy the sentence “African commu-nal self-help processes must now berefreshed, enhanced and mass-pro-

duced…” resonated so loudly in myhead. It is imprinted in our DNA-the will to survive and thrive and wemust now dig deep to bring it to thesurface, in order to save ourselvesfrom leaders who are only wealthybut not rich (big difference) andwho, because they lack vision, causetheir people to continue to perish.

Website: www.ubol.com Self-helpNews - “Giving Voice to theVoiceless”

Valerie Dixon (M.B.A.)


Without vision: the people continue to perish

As part of a ProtectedAgriculture Project inNorth East St. Catherine,

a greenhouse was officially openedin the community of TopMountain, on Thursday, June 10.

The greenhouse is one of four con-structed by the Christiana PotatoGrowers' Association in the PearTree Grove and Top Mountain com-munities at a cost of approximately$6 million, through funding by theConstituency Development Fund(CDF).

Implemented by the RuralAgricultural Development

Authority's (RADA's) office in St.Catherine, the 'greenhouse cluster'project in Top Mountain involvesthe cultivation of tomatoes andsweet peppers by four farmersselected from the community.

Speaking at the handing over cer-emony at the Top Mountain Churchof God, Member of Parliament forNorth East St. Catherine, GregoryMair, explained that the farmers hadto go through a selection process.After selection, they underwentintensive theoretical and practicaltraining in the utilisation, manage-ment, and successful operation of

greenhouse facilities.He told the farmers that they now

had the responsibility to ensure thatother farmers are inspired to take thenext step in doing farming in a dif-ferent way.

"This (greenhouse farming) isgoing to be the platform from wherewe are going to start changing theway we do farming, all the waythrough North East St. Catherine,"he asserted.

He said the green house has notbeen given to the farmers, but isbeing provided under a lease agree-ment.

"They are going to be paying backthe cost of this investment, over timeat a very reasonable rate, becausethe whole idea is that it will go backinto a revolving fund and then otherfarmers will have an opportunity tosign another lease agreement to goahead and doanother green-house," heexplained.

Minister ofAgriculture andFisheries, Hon. Dr.C h r i s t o p h e rTufton, commend-ed the farmerswhom, he said,have been given anopportunity to ben-

efit from the use of modern technol-ogy that will add value to their farm-ing.

"In a sense, all eyes are on you,because you now have the mostmodern technology in agriculture inyour community, Top Mountain, andyou are the drivers...you are the cat-alyst, you are the ones who willeither make it work or make it fail. Ifyou make it work, you will be sur-prised to know the spin-offs it willhave on your community," he said.

He advised the farmers to teachothers what they have learnt aboutgreenhouse farming, noting that it isimportant to transfer best practices,so that others can benefit.

The farmers who have benefitedfrom the project are: Colin Green,Wesley Lambert, Leroy Hyde andErica Ferron, who in responding onbehalf of the beneficiaries, said she

became interested in greenhousefarming, after being encouraged byone of her fellow recipients tobecome a part of a training exercisein greenhouse farming.

She said the training involved tak-ing care of a greenhouse, plantingseedlings, nurturing plants, learningabout different kinds of chemicals ornutrient mix, insects and diseasesthat are likely to affect plants andhow to treat them.

"We were so enthusiastic aboutnot just what we saw, learnt and did,but also venturing into this field. Myfellow recipients were already farm-ers, now it was my turn - I had to bea farmer; not the one we are soaccustomed to seeing in an openfield, with a fork, machete, etcetera,but a greenhouse farmer," shedeclared.


Workers putting the final touches on a greenhouse situated in the North East St.Catherine community of Top Mountain, which was constructed by the ChristianaPotato Growers Assn.

Christiana Potato Co-op building greenhouses in North East St. Catherine

Consumers are set to see a reductionin their electricity bills within thecoming weeks.

Minister of Energy and Mining, the HonJames Robertson, says that given the decreasein fuel prices and the revaluation of theJamaican dollar, customers across all tariffgroups will see a marginal reduction in theirenergy bills for the month of June.

He said that he expects the downward trendto continue throughout this quarter.

The reductions come despite the Office ofUtilities Regulation (OUR) granting theJamaica Public Service (JPS) an annual infla-tion adjustment of 1.9%, in accordance withJPS' 2001 licence.

In a press release on the matter, the JamaicaPublic Service Company (JPS) said that cus-tomers should see decreases of up to 2.35 per-cent in their electricity bills in July.

The JPS explained that, although the OURmade an annual inflation adjustment in keep-ing with the company's 2001 licence, theadjustment is expected to be offset by decreas-es in fuel charges and the revaluation of theJamaican Dollar against its US counterpart.

"When combined, the inflation adjustment,the lower fuel charges and foreign exchangerates are expected to result in a decrease of

about 1.34 percent on the bill of a typical resi-dential customer, using 200 KWH per month.A typical large commercial customer will see areduction of approximately 2.35 percent on theJuly bill, compared to bills received in June.June's invoices will also reflect a modestdecrease relative to May," the JPS said.

The company also pointed out that, unlikeother businesses, as a regulated entity, it can-not unilaterally change its prices, but mustsubmit an application to the OUR each yearfor the inflation adjustment, outside of theyears when a complete tariff review is done.Under the 2001 licence, the JPS is entitled to arate adjustment every five years, with the nextone due in 2014. The annual inflation adjust-ment is applied to the non-fuel portion of elec-tricity bills.

Looking to LNGThe Ministry of Energy and Mining is

actively on course to diversify Jamaica's fuelsource to include Liquefied Natural Gas(LNG), in a bid to reduce energy costs beforethe next rate adjustment is due.

Conservative estimates suggest that, if LNGhad already been brought on stream, the annu-al savings would be in the region of US$ 900million.

Over the past week, the Ministry and the JPShave engaged in consultations with representa-tives of the Jamaica Hotel and TourismAssociation (JHTA), the Private SectorOrganization of Jamaica (PSOJ), the JamaicaChamber of Commerce (JCC), the Jamaica

Manufacturers Association (JMA), theConsumer Affairs Commission, as well asSmall and Medium-sized Enterprises, arrive ata consensus around the government's policy ofenergy diversification through the introductionof LNG.

Light bills to fall withhigher J$, lower oil

Beginning in the new aca-demic year, three studentsfrom the island's bauxite

parishes who wish to study in thefield of science, technology orsport, at the under graduate level,will benefit annually from scholar-ships tenable at any local universi-ty.

This is being made possiblethrough a scholarship foundation,which has been launched by globalmining company, GlencoreInternational, in partnership with theBauxite Alumina Trading Company(BATCO), of Jamaica.

Speaking at the launch of the $17million Foundation recently at the

Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston,Minister of Energy and Mining,Hon. James Robertson welcomedthe initiative.

"Glencore's relationship inJamaica goes back 49 years, to thebeginning of our bauxite sector. Thebauxite/alumina industry, singularly,took the hardest hit coming out ofthe world crisis in commodities,over the last 24 months, and forthem to come back to the table tohelp the bauxite development com-munities, by helping their children,is the right signal," he argued.

He expressed appreciation toGlencore for committing an addi-tional one-time lump sum ofUS$50,000 (J$4.3 million) to bene-fit a wider range of students, includ-ing those from St. Thomas, wherenon-bauxite mining activities alsotake place. This sum will be chan-neled through the Ministry, andmanaged by the Foundation, Mr.Robertson informed.

The Minister said that Glencorewould not only be remembered forthe thousands of tonnes of aluminathat it has traded out of Jamaica overthe years, but also by the studentswho would be chosen each year, andwho would make an impact in theircommunities.

"It is in times of crises that we

need a hand, and this Foundationforms part of a true community out-reach," Mr. Robertson added.

Representative of Glencore,Steven Blumgart, said the companyhoped to keep the scholarship run-ning for many years, and "we hopeto keep our close involvement andfriendship with Jamaica going formany years to come."

Recipients of the scholarship mustbe below the age of 30, have residedfor at least five years in one of thebauxite mining parishes (St.

Elizabeth, St. Catherine,Manchester, St. Ann, andClarendon); and have already beenaccepted for full time study, or ifthey are already in full-time study,should have a minimum B average.

Students will not be bonded, butmust make themselves available toGlencore, Jamaica Bauxite MiningLimited or BATCO, for the purposeof promoting the GlencoreScholarship Fund. The applicantmust also be able to prove genuineneed.

Amentorship programmewas launched on June 18at the Manchester based

Winston Jones High School by thebauxite and alumina company,Jamalco.

Corporate Services andGovernment Affairs Manager atJamalco, Leo Lambert, said that theinitiative is designed to provide anenvironment, which will seek toembrace and to unearth the good inchildren.

"Life is full of options and choic-es. We can choose to do good, orbad. The programme is aboutembracing the good in our children.We are here as change agents, andseeking to provide an environmentthat will assist in the development ofour students, and help them to devel-op their fullest potential," Mr.Lambert said at the launch of PhaseTwo of the programme.

A special component of the pro-gramme is an Excellence Club,which will become part of the extracurricular activities at the school. Itwill afford the opportunity for allparticipants to gain exposure in dif-

ferent areas, and a number of stu-dents who show promise, anddemonstrate discipline will receivescholarships.

Lauding the initiative by Jamalco,Community Relations Officer in theMinistry of Education, CharmaineGooden-Monteith, said Jamalco wasa good partner in educational devel-opment, and "implementing thismentorship programme is quitetimely, as it will improve and helpstudents to adopt the right attitude."

Vice Principal of Winston JonesHigh School, Kitty Foster, said theprogramme is a welcomed opportu-nity for the institution to furtherempower students. "It will be quitebeneficial to the students who partic-ipate, and the staff will work withJamalco to ensure the success of theprogramme," she said.

Persons who will mentor the stu-dents are drawn from the company'sworkforce and management team.Phase one of the MentorshipProgramme was instituted at theVere Technical High School, inClarendon.

The Grade Six AchievementTest (GSAT) results areshowing that students are

doing better across all subjectareas, including the critical sub-jects of Mathematics and Science.

There was improvement of almostseven per cent in at least one sub-ject. "This year is a unique year, inthat for the 11 years that we havehad GSAT, all subject areas showedan increase in the mean perform-ance. It means that students aredoing better right across the board,"said Minister of Education, Hon.Andrew Holness, at a press confer-ence on June 21 at Jamaica House.

Giving a breakdown of the fig-ures, the Minister informed that the

national pass average forMathematics improved by 4.2 per-centage points to 56.9 per cent from52.7 per cent last year.

"When we look at the trend, wesee that it is heading upwards andwe are confident that this will con-tinue. In Science, last year, thenational average was 53 per cent,this year the national average is 59.6per cent. Again the trend for Scienceis upwards."

Social Studies recorded the high-est percentage increase of 6.7 percent, moving from 52.9 per cent lastyear to 59.6 per cent, while thenational average for Language Artswent up 58 per cent from 56.7 percent last year, recording the lowest

increase of all subjects.Communication Task recorded anaverage of 66.2 per cent, up from61.2 per cent.

Region One, comprisingKingston, St. Andrew, and westernSt. Thomas had the highest averageperformance with 62 per cent inMathematics ; 64 per cent inScience, 63 per cent in SocialStudies, and 62 per cent inLanguage Arts.

Region Five, comprising St.Elizabeth and Manchester, had anational average of 57 per cent inMath; 60 per cent for science; 58 percent for Social Studies; and 58 percent for LanguageArts.

According to datareleased by theMinistry, 64.97 percent of students gotinto one of theschools of theirchoice, with 81 percent placed in highschools; 10.3 percent were placed injunior high schools;6.36 per cent wereplaced in technicalhigh schools; and1.99 per cent of stu-dents were placedin all-age schools.

A total of 32.31per cent of studentswere placed inschools accordingto proximity.


Scholarships for students from bauxite parishes

Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness (right) confers with PermanentSecretary, Audrey Sewell (left) and Chief Education Officer, Grace McClean, prior tothe start of a press conference at Jamaica House on June 21 to announce the resultsof the 2010 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

Minister of Energy and Mining, Hon. James Robertson (left), and representative ofGlencore International, Steven Blumgart sign the agreement for the establishment ofthe $17 million Glencore Scholarship Foundation, which will be managed by theBauxite and Alumina Trading Company (BATCO), of Jamaica. Observing the pro-ceeding, which was held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on June 15, is ManagingDirector of BATCO, Coy Roach.

Jamalco mentorshipprogramme for WinstonJones High School

GSAT scores move higher

Minister of State for Labour and SocialSecurity, Hon. Andrew Gallimore, saysthat a progressive approach is being taken

to dealing with persons with disabilities, as theGovernment moves to create opportunities for themto contribute to the society.

He said the inclusion of persons with disabilities inall facets of the society makes both practical and goodbusiness sense.

"We cannot build a country where 10 per cent of thepopulation is unemployed or unengaged in anymeaningful activity. The social and economicimplications are far-reaching for the country,"Mr. Gallimore argued.

He made the point in a speech read by PublicRelations Manager at the Ministry, Ann-MarieDobson, at the opening ceremony for AbilitiesDay held June 11, at the Abilities Foundation ofJamaica in St. Andrew.

Citing initiatives being undertaken, Mr.Gallimore informed that the finishing touchesare being put on the Disabilities Bill to be takento Parliament, shortly. The legislation is expect-ed to influence how the country treats with per-sons with disabilities in Jamaica.

He noted further that the AbilitiesFoundation, through a number of training pro-grammes, has also been preparing persons withdisabilities to match the skills sets required forthe job market.

Acknowledging that,regardless of their efforts,some persons with dis-abilities will still requireassistance from the state,Mr. Gallimore said theGovernment is working toincrease the number ofsuch persons enrolled onthe Programme ofAdvancement throughHealth and Education(PATH).

He informed that thenumber of registeredPATH beneficiaries withdisabilities is currently7,831 and that theMinistry is working toincrease that figure. For2009, the Governmentexpended $89.4 millionto persons with disabili-ties and the budget hasbeen increased to $92.4million for the 2010/11

financial year.Abilities Day is being used by the Abilities

Foundation to raise awareness about the work of vari-ous organisations serving the community of disabledpersons as well as the training programmes provided bythe Foundation.

This year's theme is 'Motivation for Empowerment'.The day featured displays, a barbecue and a lunch-hourconcert.


Gov't taking progressiveapproach to disabled persons

Chairman of the National Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities, Dr. Patricia Dunwell (cen-tre), and Public Relations Manager at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ann-Marie Dobson(seated right), admire artwork at Jamaica Association for Intellectual Disabilities (JAID) booth,which was mounted as part of activities to mark Abilities Day on June 11 at the offices of the AbilitiesFoundation in St. Andrew. At left is Arts and Craft Officer at JAID, Altaphia Hamilton.


Despite the challenging situ-ation the island nation ofJamaica is presently

undergoing, the Jamaica RaceDriver's Club (JRDC) managed topull off a successful first leg of theCaribbean Motor RacingChampionship (CMRC).

Billed “Caribbean Invasion2010”, the rac meet was held on

Sunday and Monday, May 23 and24, 2010 with most classes qualify-

ing on the first day before a torren-tial downpour put an end to proceed-ings followed by a full day of racingon day two, all made possible withthe assistance of Seaboard Marine,LIME and Turbo Energy drink.

A massive crowd turned out on thesecond day of the event to witnesssome of the most powerful circuitracing cars in the English speaking

Caribbean grace the 1.6 mile track.Ample provision for spectator

comfort, including 2 VIP all inclu-sive areas, seven covered stands anda large covered food court were inplace. For those unable to enjoy theamenities at the venue, the raceswere streamed live on the internet atwww.jrdc.org andwww.ncumedia.com by the mediaservices department of NorthernCaribbean University and alsobroadcast live by Power 106.

The man of the meet was undoubt-edly “King” David Summerbell,who put his best foot forward in thedefense of his 2009 CaribbeanMotor Racing Championship bycapturing pole position (1 min.20.872 secs.) and winning all threeCMRC races plus one ModifiedProduction Class 3 race while fin-ishing second in a thrilling, 7 lapfinal race of the day, when theThundersport class was run concur-rently with Modified Productionclasses 1, 2 and 3.

In that race, what seemed like acat and mouse game betweenSummerbell who was driving his

Total/PPG Paints sponsoredMitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 andveteran driver Peter “Zoom Zoom”Rae in his bright yellow MazdaRX7, went the way of Rae as thetwo drivers approached a backmarker on the final lap withSummerbell in the lead. Rae usedthe opportunity to overtake both carsin a skillfully executed maneuver tothe outside and held the lead to thecheckered flag.Mark Maloney of Barbados drivingthe Rockstar Energy Drink/Automotive Art Mazda RX3, hadput up the best challenge to theJamaican contingent when he postedthe 2nd fastest qualifying time of 1min. 22.588 secs. early Mondaymorning and even led the first racefor a while. But the raw straight linespeed, the amazing handling andskillful talents of David Summerbelltook him first to the checkered flag.Guyana's Kevin Jeffrey driving theTop Power Racing MitsubishiLancer Evolution 8 finished 3rd inrace 1.

Summerbell again had it all hisown way in race 2 followed by TeamMobay Racing's Douglas“Hollywood” Gore who hadswitched cars to his SherwinWilliams Paints/SlamC o n d o m s / B o o m e r a n gTires/Tropical Battery MitsubishiLancer Evolution 5, after hisEvolution 10 had developed clutchproblems causing him to retire onthe first lap of race 1. Peter Rae wasto finish 3rd.

In the 3rd CMRC race, it wasmuch the same, with a now familiar“Summerbell-Gore” 1-2 finish withGuyana's Mark Vieira in the Shell VPower/Digicel Mazda RX8 finallyhaving a podium finish after a chal-lenging weekend in Jamaica.Guyana's Andrew King along withBarbados' Doug Maloney both suf-fered from mechanical problemsover the weekend and were not ableto place in any of the events.

Caribbean Invasion 2010 at Dover

South Coast News

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