Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Draft Nutrition Policy for schools to go before Cabinet
Montego Bay, April 27, 2019 – Jamaica – Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the draft National Nutrition Policy for schools has been completed and will be brought to Cabinet shortly for deliberations.
The policy, which is being developed in collaboration with the Education, Youth and Information Ministry, aims to promote healthy eating and physical activity among students.
“Once finalised, it will become, essentially, the guide for schools to work with those who provide meals, to be able to provide a range of options for students, so they are not locked into a daily diet of excessive salts, sugars, fats and other things that may become a problem,” he noted.
Dr. Tufton was addressing the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) 18th Annual Education Conference on Thursday (April 25) at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James.
Meanwhile, he noted the “overwhelming support” at the school level for the recently launched campaign against sugary drinks.
“I want to thank the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the teachers who manage the schools for responding so overwhelmingly to the evidence that suggests that too many of our children are drinking themselves sick because of the over-concentration of sugary drink,” Dr. Tufton said.
He said that the “strong partnership” between the ministries will continue in order to promote wellness, improve the nutritional status of children and support their long-term physical and psychosocial development.
“So, the idea of wellness is going to mean regularising physical education right through the cohorts, and ensuring that our children go outside and play. I know the Ministry of Education is working on putting that in place, so that [children] see physical activity as a part of life that must become a habit, not something that they are forced to do but will mean better for them later on,” he pointed out.
Dr. Tufton encouraged teachers to equip students with the requisite knowledge to make better decisions regarding diet and physical activity.
Contact: Nickieta Sterling
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: President of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), Dr. Garth Anderson (left); and Assistant Secretary General, JTA, Dr. Margaret Chin, show off the Jamaica Moves shirts presented to them by Health Minister, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton (centre), at the JTA’S 18th Annual Education Conference on Thursday (April 25), at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, St. James.
Insert: Members of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) partcipate in a Jamaica Moves workout session during the organisation’s 18th Annual Education Conference, held on Thursday (April 25) at The Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St. James.
Photos by Nickieta Sterling.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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