good afternoon and Vashon brown with a midday news a special welcome if you're
watching on one spot media.com the Education Ministry is defending multiple
contracts signed for emergency school repairs with a single contractor the
issue was raised that Parliament's Public Accounts Committee PA C meeting
on Tuesday here Stevie J is Herman green six contracts five schools one
contractor those details on the direct and emergency contracts for school
repairs were highlighted in the Auditor General's report on procurement by the
Education Ministry of National Education Trust net for PSC member dr. Maurice guy
the situation was puzzling in more ways than one it would speak to a situation
where men are making value for your money in that in that you have you have
contractors who are located in the locale of the school will be better able
to give you a better costing than somebody who is located say for example
in Savile anima are doing something in Port Antonio so the question that has
been asked is where are the six schools located are in the same geographic area
permanent secretary the Minister of Education dr. grace McLean confirmed
that the six schools were in Portland Kingston st. Catherine Jelani and
Westmoreland so why one contractor the company that was selected to do these
schools offered a new system built type of arrangement outside of the putting
together the 1:1 blocks and steel and would have been able to complete the
project within a very short time she says approval was given by the National
contracts Commission as well as cabinet for all six contracts but PSC chairman
mark golden questioned why the contracts were done under an emergency contract
since it was already in the ministry's work plan she says unfavorable
structural conditions at the start of the school year is one contributing
factor then a justification could be made that school will reopen at X
time a budget becomes available because we operate within the financial year at
April of each year having the funds to spend about June and so we made the
interpretation that if we put a case forward for direct contracting on the
emergency to support our schools and that could be considered the PSC will
continue reviewing the report next week Thursday
Herman Greene TVJ news the Jamaica Teachers Association is urging the
government to treat with their issues on a level playing field with other sectors
it comes following reports of teachers leaving the local teaching profession to
take up overseas work here Stevie J's or Shane masters the issue of migration of
the Jamaican workforce has been a topical one in recent times as the human
resources of a nation continues to be depleted
this is especially where the country's educators and nurses speaking recently
in send James president of the Jamaica Teachers Association JTA Owen Speed says
there are things that the government needs to address in a bid to hearts the
migration of teachers chief among them improved salaries they need to look at
reclassification of teachers salaries no and they need to look at
reclassification up to a hundred percent not eighty percent he also chastised the
government and other officials in society for what he terms the disrespect
of teachers when jamia can teachers studied they didn't do an 80 percent
degree so any other people studied in their field they did a hundred percent
of studies the teachers of this country did a hundred percent of studying too in
terms of criticisms he says the notion that math and science teachers should be
paid a higher salary should be rubbish we are not so silly and we won't do that
because it makes no sense I need to look at reclassification and oh they can find
something to benefit everybody because they have money to do other things and
they are reckless in spending Jamaica's money in the meantime the JTA head is
urging the government to make lands more readily available for teachers to many
of our teachers are retiring without a home and I know that
if they give you a piece of land then the j-tier cooperative Credit Union
might be willing to give you some loan to go and build if it is even one room
machine masters TVJ news the Jamaica fabricate is urging the government to
enforce the laws which govern the safety and protection of the nation's children
the call comes as the country continues to record an increase in house fires
claiming the lives of children TVs prints more reports looking at our
statistics no we're talking about fires occurring 151 on average every month
staggering figures from the Jamaica Fire Brigade about the number of fires in
Western Jamaica but what is more troubling is that a 50% represents house
fires according to Assistant Commissioner to Jamaica Fire Brigade
floyd mclean all fires in hannover were house fires but what mr. McLean says is
more troubling is that no matter where the nation's children are they are not
safe he says the carelessness of adults is to be blamed for children dying in
house fires my experience in fire safety has taught me that adults are
predominantly lazy and the things that we should do to protect our children we
don't do them so therefore we leave them alone we allow them to go through trial
and error using fires as to the two children who died in a fire in Norwood
st. James earlier this month he says investigations show that the eldest
child was actually vaping and v-not with something that will not cause a fire but
actually smoking a roll of paper and that actually as simple as that created
the fire in the meantime he's calling for the full implementation of the law
in protecting children i from a fire brigade standpoint and a personal
standpoint would like to see the full force of the law come to bear
on all parents who believe that they're at the point where they still should be
running up and down on the road at nights when their children ought to be
protected at home they have to find the opportunity no the party and floss
because they are still young Prince more TVJ news and it's now time for a break
but stay with us more stories right after these messages
welcome back continuing the news now director of the road safety unit Knut
here is calling for more accountability from parents while transporting their
children he says data show that adults were seatbelts in most crashes involving
children while the children are left to roam about in the vehicle and we are
found the crash were apparent buckle up a window crush on the child
felt our vehicle I when the child flattened of Eclipse trial body club
asphalt on an asphalt Club by the child body and then because because the body
is made up of water juice liquors on the road surface and then the fire truck
come on wash it off mr. haire says the black box in each vehicle records
critical data about each crash it's why he says the police should enforce not
only the Road Traffic Act in these cases but also the child care and protection
act deal with these parents who have made a deliberate calculated an
intentional decision to transport our future recklessly the hair was speaking
at a child sensitization session in turn James recently
today's being celebrated as World Children's Day and their renewed demands
from the country's youth for parliamentarians to do more to stem
crime and violence against children the matter was raised that a special sitting
of parliament yesterday TV jays janela pursues reports no one
from you a history-making moment in the highest court of the land lawmakers
needed a further reminder about the impact of violence and crime was having
on the country's youth these young advocates did not hold back in stressing
the point we love our country but we hate the violence that is hurting the
bodies minds and spirits of Jamaican children the presentation was a
culmination of a series of town hall meetings organized by UNICEF and the
office of the children's advocate children 6 to 17 spoke about the
experiences with violence and came up with a proposed plan of action for the
government these rights like the right to share as we are doing today
children want stricter enforcement of laws for those who abuse children in
response Prime Minister Andrew Holness and leader of the Opposition dr. Peter
Phillips committed to doing all they can to protect children from all forms of
violence as the political parties begin to crank up their machinery for imminent
elections civic groups are also gearing up themselves executive director of the
national integrity action ni a professor Siobhan Monroe says the organization
stands ready to continue observer missions to ensure fairness in the
election process we and civil society bodies need to
ensure that is not only the political leadership that's put on notice but all
of us are citizens as media as individuals we need to put ourselves on
notice to get ready to ensure that all aspects of our electoral law and
administration's are observed both in spirit as well as in letter perhaps most
of all the Electoral Commission of Jamaica they need to get ready to uphold
our electoral law perhaps mostly they need with whatever assistance from civil
society and whatever resources from the government they need to build awareness
purser Monroe is however worried that several unanswered questions remain over
spending in recent by-elections including in East Portland it's a matter
of some interest that in the five parliamentary by-elections since Webber
2016 3 Victoria's GOP candidates and two victorious PNP candidates in those
by-elections reported nil donations received maybe that is a reflection of
the fact but we have to rely on our Electoral Commission to do the necessary
work to ensure compliance professor Monroe was speaking at the Press
Association of Jamaica's public forum as part of national journalism week at the
Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Monday farmers in Dallas and Thomas are appealing to
the government for help in finding suitable lands for cattle rearing the
farmers store the TV show news that they do not have adequate lands in and around
their community to carry out their business for one the farmers say the
duckenfield the sugar estate which was closed early this year would be best for
that activity which was passed Pollock laughter we re s : waitin for the farmer
but no is it's an inland now utilize Joaquin again the cows eat arundo this
year crop so we don't know if we have a crop next year so if we could I get some
other land as far as coke are good all right
that commercial farmers of coke whatever having a land can be a farmer I don't
have any land under my tell young people who go in our farming and in Calgary no
farming we don't learn a three vehicle collision in Westmoreland claimed the
life of a teacher yesterday afternoon that is why earth will King's a teacher
at Froome Technical High School in the parish TVJ News understands that mr.
Wilkins was driving along the content main road when the car developed
mechanical difficulties and he lost control of the vehicle he was taken to
the black of a hospital where he was pronounced dead we were coming from
coming up and there was a few cars in ahead of us and this car behind us
overtake us and overtake us there was another set a car coming down so there
was no space for him to so Islam that Erik asla mean to you my name is Lam
Ito's of film I saw after the street over here and here's a preview of what's
coming up in this evenings health report in the next edition of the health report
we look at malnutrition when you have situations that lead to throat and
people can't find food and especially if the children are not immunized they keep
getting reinfected with all of these diseases and the new to the metabolic
process can cope with it and so they lose energy they use protein right and
because they lose a lot of protein you find that that the routine that's the
health report this evening in primetime news and know for today's healthy living
tip if you suffer from malnutrition your advice to have plenty fruits and
vegetables some milk and dairy products some meat fish eggs beans and other
non-dairy sources of protein
tamo for sports the finalists for the ISA Manning Cup will be decided today
with a playing of the semi-finals at the National Stadium at 3 p.m. in 1987
winners sent an geotechnical will oppose Wilma's boys the second semi-final will
be between Jamaica College and Kingston college at 5 p.m.
three days after their won all regular time score line in the East champions
cup at the same venue Casey went on to win that game 3-2 on penalties the first
semi-final will be live on TV J and hits 92 FM and that's the midday news and
Vashon bran don't forget to join us at 7:00 for prime time news package on
behalf of the news sports and production teams have a wonderful afternoon