Holness accepts Esri geospatial award as Cabinet advances school grants, power probe and Jamaica 64 plans

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness on Monday accepted the 2026 Esri Presidential Award at the Environmental Systems Research Institute User Conference in San Diego, California, honouring Jamaica’s integrated national geospatial infrastructure and its use of geographic information systems to drive data-led governance.

Accepting the recognition on behalf of Jamaicans, public officers, emergency responders, GIS professionals, community volunteers, international partners and the diaspora, Dr. Holness said GIS proved vital after Hurricane Melissa. Spatial data, he said, gave aid partners a shared picture of where need was greatest, with dashboards tracking shelters, blocked roads and damaged buildings in real time, and a satellite assessment classifying more than 960 buildings within days. He stressed that the capability rested on years of investment, training and collaboration.

At Wednesday’s post-Cabinet briefing, Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon announced that funding for all public schools will rise by an average of 55% for the coming school year, with larger increases for primary and special-needs institutions. The money consolidates previous grants into a single operational grant—25% administration, 20% repairs and maintenance, 30% teaching and learning, 15% STEAM and TVET, and 10% student welfare. Schools received a first 30% tranche in the second week of June; further 15% and 20% tranches are due in September and December, taking first-term disbursement to 65%.

Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz said his ministry and the Office of Utilities Regulation are jointly reviewing Jamaica Public Service Company’s investigative report on the June 5 island-wide blackout, which JPS linked to intense lightning and which collapsed the national grid for several hours. An inter-ministerial team with technical experts is examining root causes and system resilience. JPS’s probe drew on Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, DNV Energy Solutions, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and General Electric. Findings and any required actions will be made public after the review.

Separately, the Cannabis Licensing Authority launched its first Cannabis Special Permit Road Show in St. Elizabeth at Newell High School on Friday, promoting Special Community Permits and Cultivator Transitional Special Permits under updated rules. State Minister Delano Seiveright said the CLA has strengthened customer-service support, while Agriculture Minister Floyd Green noted training in crop nutrition and post-harvest handling and stronger RADA extension backing. The CLA has issued more than 200 licences, with about 25 active cultivation farms.

Culture Minister Olivia Grange unveiled Jamaica’s 64th Independence calendar under the theme “united in celebrating resilience,” including the 60th Jamaica Festival Song Competition (results July 25), Jamaica Gospel Star, a July 26 thanksgiving service at Olson Memorial Church of God in St. Andrew, the Seville Emancipation Jubilee in St. Ann on July 31, Independence Village at the National Stadium Complex from August 1 to 6, and the Grand Gala on August 6.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday paid tribute to former Cabinet ministers Professor Oswald Harding and Dean Peart, former St. James West Central MP Arthur Nelson, and athletics coach Stephen Francis, who died on July 4. Harding’s funeral is set for July 27 at the UWI Chapel; a Cabinet submission for an official funeral for Peart was due Monday; and Francis’s celebration of life is scheduled for August 15 at the National Indoor Sports Centre.