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SRC implementing $9M agriculture project at Carron Hall High School in Jamaica

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#Jamaica, October 24, 2017 – Kingston – The Scientific Research Council (SRC) is close to finalizing phase one of a $9 million dollar agriculture project at Carron Hall High School in St. Mary that will significantly benefit students as well as residents of the surrounding communities.

The initiative, which entails the establishment a bio-digester system and a piggery unit, is expected to assist in boosting the school’s science syllabus while providing an additional revenue inflow option for the institution.

Coordinator for the SRC’s Science and Technology Unit, Amanda McKenzie, tells JIS News that the undertaking is consistent with the agency’s mandate, noting that “the Council believes that science and technology should work for everyone…at the school level…the community level and the nation at large”.

She explains that the piggery unit, which will enable the school to sell the meat to the wider community, will have an environmentally-friendly waste treatment system.   Additionally, there will be a bio-digester system that will convert the resulting waste to fertilizer, which Miss McKenzie says can be used on the school’s farm.

She further informs that bio-gas generated from the equipment’s operations can be used to fuel the canteen as well as potentially power the wider campus, while the other significant by-product, water, can be used to irrigate the school’s farm.

Miss McKenzie points out that the bio-digester can be used as a demonstrative model to illustrate how science and technology can be optimally utilized to produce clean energy and enhance knowledge of animal husbandry.

In the meantime, the Coordinator says the SRC will be developing a manual that provides the school’s teachers of Agriculture; Environmental Science; Biology; Geography, Engineering and Technical Drawing with information on how they can use the technology to impart aspects of their subject syllabi to their students.

She explains that a key objective of the project is improving in the youngsters’ external examination results which showed that, in the case of Agricultural Science, 30 per cent of the school’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) candidates in 2013 gained Grade 1, 40 percent – Grade 2 and 30 percent – Grade 3.

“We find that when we provide a physical demonstration or model, by giving the students a practical application of science and technology, they tend the grasp the information easier, and are able to transfer the information from one subject area to the others,” Miss McKenzie tells JIS News.

The school was selected as a beneficiary based on their being a part of the Improving Innovation Capacities in the Caribbean (INVOCAB) project, which focuses on science education and developing programmes and activities for select institutions, with a view to improving how the subject is taught.   Some of INVOCAB’S programmes and activities include summer camps; innovation competitions and non- traditional methods of imparting knowledge, which are incorporated in teachers’ lesson plans.

Following the completion of the Carron Hall High School project’s first phase, which began in November 2016, the SRC will implement a monitoring system to ensure that the all necessary standards are met, and provide general supervision and assistance designed to make the business component sustainable.

“Part of the project’s requirements is that 80 percent of earnings or savings from electricity should return to the project so that (the school) can continue purchasing animals for the piggery,” Miss McKenzie indicates.

The SRC has partnered with the Digicel Foundation, Food for the Poor Jamaica and the American Friends of Jamaica to undertake the project, which Miss McKenzie notes is “an excellent example of public-private partnership”.

By: Tomeica Gunn (JIS)

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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