PNP bets on democratic socialism - Golding embraces Manley’s 1970s philosophy, vows to build on former PM’s legacy People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding has embraced democratic socialism, the political philosophy championed by former PNP leader and Prime Minister Michael Manley in the 1970s, declaring that changing times are creating renewed interest in the ideology. Golding, addressing the PNP’s Greendale Divisional Conference on Thursday night, said the philosophy was gaining traction even in the United States (US), where, he argued, there was growing recognition of the need for governments to put people’s interests ahead of those of powerful individuals and groups.
In the classroom, six days a week…Region Four’s 36 volunteer educators rally students after Melissa – and the results are in WESTERN BUREAU: They started with mathematics. Then students wanted Spanish, English, science, information technology and social studies. Soon, four weekdays were not enough. “Miss, we’re ready,” they told their educators. Saturday was added. Then Sunday.
Built For success - Aspiring civil and medical engineer among JPS Foundation scholars Civil engineering dreams for Paul Thomas Watson were moulded as a teenage labourer on construction sites, working alongside his father. Now, days away from beginning his degree at the University of Technology (UTech), Watson fondly harkened back to his adolescence, when summer vacations exposed him to the fundamentals of building. His namesake father, a high school science educator who took on part-time contractor jobs to make ends meet, would bring Watson and his elder brother, Paul Lincoln, to work on projects during weekends.
Returning JTA president raises $18-billion school repair doubt WESTERN BUREAU: La Sonja Harrison, the newly reinstalled president of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), wants the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information to say whether the $18 billion allotted for post-Hurricane Melissa repairs to affected schools is sufficient, especially for schools in western Jamaica, which took a battering from the Category 5 hurricane.
Coley Nicholson: Focus on physical schooling over AI WESTERN BUREAU: Attorney-at-law Helene Coley Nicholson, president of Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship Jamaica, is encouraging educators to prioritise interpersonal interaction with students to develop their critical-thinking skills, rather than relying on artificial intelligence (AI), which she says may risk degrading a child’s cognitive development.
Stigma blocking children from mental-health care WESTERN BUREAU: Nurse practitioner Tackaya Brown-Lawrence, who heads the St James Child and Adolescent Wellness Centre, says mental-health stigma remains a major barrier preventing children and adolescents from getting the care they need, and that health workers cannot simply wait for families to recognise mental-health problems and seek help.
FLIGHT SQUEEZE - Ja-Florida fares soar past US$3,000 as travellers battle for scarce seats WESTERN BUREAU: Travellers trying to get between Jamaica and Florida in the United States are facing airfares exceeding US$3,000, sold-out flights, and limited alternatives as a severe summer squeeze on airline seats takes hold. The crunch, particularly acute during July and August, has made getting to South Florida – normally less than two hours by air from Jamaica – an expensive and, in some cases, near-impossible exercise.
Blake’s grade-one sweep - Young teacher’s dedication pays off as all 10 TD students earn top marks Kemoy Blake, the technical drawing teacher at Winston Jones High School in Manchester, is used to his students achieving high passes in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. But in his eight years at the school, this was the first time all his students scored grade ones in the subject area, with some earning distinctions. “I am extremely proud and grateful. For me as a teacher, it is a very ... moment,” he told The Gleaner, failing to find the right word. “I will always cherish this moment.”
Driver fights to be reinstated after gas theft accusation, resignation A former Rubis Energy Jamaica driver is fighting to be reinstated after claiming that he was forced to sign a resignation letter following allegations that he was involved in the theft of gas from company trucks. Aduke Walker, 48, who has worked with Rubis since 2023 and has received multiple awards, including two ‘Driver of the Year ’ awards, is insisting that he did not voluntarily resign on June 16 but was pressured into doing so. Asked why he complied and resigned if he was innocent, Walker said, “That’s the question everybody is asking.”
Beyond ‘Red Light, Yellow Light, Pepper Light’ WESTERN BUREAU: Young Jamaicans are being challenged to look beyond Red Light, Yellow Light, Pepper Light hype and use the Internet to find scholarships, learn skills, and pursue opportunities capable of changing their lives. Clive Harris, group technical manager at Rainforest Caribbean, issued the challenge to scholarship recipients recently, arguing that today’s young people have access to a powerful resource that was not readily available to him while growing up.