Bark Di Trute!

Thursday, 19 March 2026

PM Says HEART/NSTA To Eliminate Additional Tuition Fees

JIS Press Release, March 19 (JIS):

Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

The Government will be eliminating additional tuition fees at the HEART/NSTA Trust in an effort to broaden access to skills training.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced that beginning in fiscal year 2026/27, fees for all programmes up to Level Five will be removed.

He made the announcement during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 19).

“I was proud to bring the HEART/NSTA Trust closer to [late former] Prime Minister, [the Most Hon. Edward] Seaga’s vision, when we eliminated tuition fees up to Level Four. Since then, HEART’s doors have been open to more than half a million young and not-so-young men and women islandwide,” Dr. Holness said.

He explained that the Government’s mission to expand access to opportunity through skills training is not yet complete.

“I shall now complete that mission. Note that this is a bachelor’s degree. HEART will become free from Level One to Level Five for those who need it most, because my Administration understands how important it is to continuously improve access to skills training and give every Jamaican a clear pathway to prosperity,” the Prime Minister stated.

Meanwhile, Dr. Holness noted that the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) will require thousands of skilled tradespeople, including carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, and roofers, highlighting the importance of building the capacity to train them rapidly and at scale.

“The HEART/NSTA Trust will train construction-related tradespersons who can assist in the rebuilding and resilience initiatives as well as propelling the expansion of various sectors,” he pointed out.

The Government will also introduce a Contractor Incubator Programme, which will place selected graduates from HEART and the University of Technology (UTech) Jamaica on a structured developmental pathway.

Participants will benefit from technical assistance, advanced training, and concessional financing through the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), enabling them to acquire equipment and scale their operations.

“The intent is to have Jamaicans gain experience on high-value public infrastructure projects and transition faster into sustainable employment and enterprise,” Dr. Holness said.

Editor's Note

Let's hope they get more people who are not so young, who are mature and will take the programme seriously. Students who do not perform and do not comply with the rules of the institutions should be removed from the programme.

This is a great opportunity, especially for those who have been laid off from their jobs and they need to equip themselves for other jobs.

We also definitely need to train more doctors and medical specialists.

_____________________

___________________

Bark Di Trute requests that you click on the advertiser's link on the page and also donate to the work of Bark Di Trute. It takes cash to care!
_____________________

Click here to see what's happening.
_________________

Subscribe Now!
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
Subscribe to my Emergency News Advice Service.
Make a financial donation now.
Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.
You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.
_____________________

Dealing With The Shortage Of Burial Spots.

A created picture.

Our leaders must have a vision. That means that we should plan ahead for fifty to one hundred years. I was listening to a part of the Prime Minister's budget presentation. I don't know if he mentioned the challenge of dwindling burial space, but he did look at what needs to be done for the future.

Recently, we saw on TV some councillors who were quarrelling about the closures of cemeteries. I did not get the impression that they had any solutions, and the meeting was all about producing hot air.

I shared my concerns with my friends on Bark Di True. I noticed my foundation friend suggested cremation or donating the bodies of our departed ones for scientific study. Someone else suggested building new cemeteries. With approximately 2.7 million people in the country who will eventually die, space will still be an issue.

There was one comment that we should pay special attention to. The comment says, "Part of being able to employ critical thinking is to ensure that you are as well-informed as possible. Many persons can't be bothered to find out what is happening beyond their noses and they seem to think that things happen in a vacuum."

These are my suggestions, which are based on the feedback of the Bark Di Trute supporters:

Churches should encourage discussions about the disposal of bodies.
Initially, the government should incentivize the cremation of people who have died.
Trees could be planted in memory of the departed person, and their ashes placed at the root of the tree in memory of the departed person. The tree should have a nameplate attached.

All of this requires a cultural change, so we will need the churches and other groups on board. It is not a matter to be ignored because the challenge is upon us.

Dealing with the dead has become a money-making and costly exercise. Expensive caskets, burial spots, elaborate funerals, videotaping, nine-night functions, repasts, and streaming the events make it burdensome for some of us. Sometimes I wonder if this is a poor country.

Please share this post with your MP and your councillor.

_____________________

___________________

Belmont Road In Westmoreland Collapses - Urgent Attention Needed

Press Release From Mr Keith Wedderburn, March 19, 2026

A section of the main road in Belmont, Bluefields, has collapsed today, renewing serious concerns about infrastructure vulnerability along Jamaica’s south coast and the consequences of delayed intervention.

The collapse follows a public warning issued as far back as October 2018, which highlighted two high-risk areas along the corridor: the Belmont roadway, affected by coastal erosion, and the deteriorating bridge between Sweet River and Paradise. While the Sweet River bridge was subsequently repaired, the Belmont section—despite visible signs of structural weakening—remained unaddressed until today’s failure.

At the time of the initial warning, clear indicators such as underground erosion, surface cracks, and sinkholes were documented. The absence of early corrective action has now resulted in a situation that could have posed significant danger to motorists, pedestrians, and nearby communities.

“This is not just an infrastructure issue—it is a matter of public safety and accountability,” the original author of the 2018 warning noted. “The signs were there. The concerns were raised. Today’s collapse underscores the cost of inaction.”

Immediate Concerns and Recommendations:

Urgent assessment of the affected Belmont roadway and surrounding areas
Implementation of temporary safety measures to secure the location
Swift mobilization toward permanent repairs
Comprehensive audit of other vulnerable points along the South Coast main road
Improved response systems to address early warnings and community reports
Motorists are being advised to exercise extreme caution and avoid the affected area where possible, as further deterioration cannot be ruled out.
This incident has also sparked renewed calls for stronger collaboration between citizens, engineers, and government agencies to ensure that early warning signs are not overlooked in the future.
Community members are encouraged to continue sharing verified information and advocating for timely intervention to prevent similar occurrences.

Cracks in the road surface.

View from the ocean showing erosion below the road surface at Belmont.

The view travelling from Kingston to Savan-La-Mar.

Editor's Note

The MP for the area is Dayton Campbell, and the councillor is Michael Jackson.

Please share this blog with community members and those who drive in their area. One area concerns should be the concern for all of us.

_____________________

___________________

Wednesday, 18 March 2026

Thinking Leaders With Vision Needed

Tonight I watched TV news, and I saw councillors quarreling about the closure of cemeteries. The population is increasing, people have not stopped dying, and land space is diminishing, so we are running out of burial spots. Going to the parish council meeting and shouting at one another will not solve the challenge.

I would like my Bark Di Truth supporters, who are thinking people, to tell our leaders how this matter can be dealt with. Please add your comments at the bottom of this blog.

_________________________

Earthquake Alert

_____________________

The alleged criminals were trying to get away from the police, and they ended up going the wrong way on a one-way street. This is near the taxi park on Caledonia Avenue.

________________________

Unbelievable Story Of Funds Being Stolen From Bank ATM!

A created picture.

The following story was published online by the Gleaner on March 16, 2025. Please read the story below.

The police in Portmore, St Catherine are investigating the theft of millions from an ATM at the National Commercial Bank (NCB).
The police report that on Wednesday, March 11, a team from a security company took $9.5 million to the bank, loaded the money into the ATM, and then informed a superior.
It is further reported that on Sunday, March 15, another team from the company went to the ATM to carry out verification activities and discovered discrepancies in the amount that had been lodged by their colleagues.
It was subsequently discovered that the money was missing.
CCTV footage was reviewed, and a masked man was reportedly observed removing money from the ATM’s cash bin.
The matter was reported to the Portmore police, and an investigation is under way.
- Rasbert Turner

Only a newborn baby would believe this story. This matter implicates the staff of the bank and the security company!

The following are a few questions for the banks.

Is there an alarm system on these ATMs?
Was the ATM broken into, or are the funds just missing?
Are ATMs able to recognize when persons have on a mask, which then triggers an alarm?
Do the banks plan to get ATMs with facial recognition capabilities?

_____________________

Breaking News

Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib has been killed.
Global oil prices are now at USD 108 per barrel.
Parts of Iran’s oil and natural gas facilities were attacked by the US and Israel.

_____________________

___________________

The Cuban Doctors Shall Return?

Contributed By Hylton Dennis

A created picture.

Diplomacy corrected the 49-year-old political corruption of the PNP, called 'bilateral friendship,' that violated their human rights and professional dignity.

Relic extremists, abandoned after the seventies by their proclaimed 'Messiah,' Michael 'Joshua' Manley, think the Cuban doctors are mere pawns of the Fidel Castro rebellion against America, his former sponsor and ally, called a revolution.

The PNP tribalists, revelling in the freedom of a democracy, relegate the Cuban doctors to servitude for the convenient care of the health of Jamaicans.

Wearing their paternity, for this, as a badge of honour, rather than the disgrace that it was. The diplomatically astute government of the JLP under Dr The Hon. Andrew Holness agreed with the US that the constitution of the agreement with Cuba for the doctors' services was wrong!

Obstinate in their error as a culture of the PNP, the relic tribalists bleat daily about the woe of letting them go.

The JLP government will go one step further to prepare to pay at market rate, or near to it, for the doctors to return as free agents from a democratic Cuba, now being worked out by diplomacy.

They are worth it! Yet, the PNP will find a different angle of annoyance to distract from this and the inevitability of their return.

Hylton Dennis

____________________

Breaking News

Death of Ali Larijani deepens the crisis at the heart of Iran's leadership.

_____________________

___________________

Thursday, 19 March 2026

PM Says HEART/NSTA To Eliminate Additional Tuition Fees

JIS Press Release, March 19 (JIS):

Subscribe Now!

Dealing With The Shortage Of Burial Spots.

Subscribe Now!

Belmont Road In Westmoreland Collapses - Urgent Attention Needed

Press Release From Mr Keith Wedderburn, March 19, 2026

Subscribe Now!

Wednesday, 18 March 2026

Thinking Leaders With Vision Needed

Unbelievable Story Of Funds Being Stolen From Bank ATM!

Subscribe Now!

The Cuban Doctors Shall Return?

Subscribe Now!

Most Popular Post.

Translate