Government pushes digital services as Jamaica tracks school bus crash fallout

Jamaica’s government is pressing ahead with digital reforms aimed at cutting red tape and making public services easier to use, Minister Audrey Marks told Parliament during her sectoral debate contribution on Wednesday.

Marks said work is under way on a digital document wallet that would let citizens safely keep and share state-issued records, including birth certificates, national ID cards and other civic documents. She also outlined Gov Notify, a planned system for sending public-sector reminders and alerts by email, SMS and WhatsApp, including notices for expiring passports and driver’s licences.

The minister said the Jamaica Data Exchange Platform is intended to let authorised government systems share information securely, reducing repeated paperwork for citizens. She also reported that Paygate, the government’s online payment platform, processed more than one million transactions in the last financial year and now supports payments in Jamaican and United States dollars through Visa, Mastercard and Visa debit cards.

Education officials, meanwhile, are monitoring students from Garvey Maceo High School after a coaster bus crashed near the May Pen entrance to the Williamsfield toll road shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday. Thirty-nine students were affected and at least 41 people were injured. By early Thursday, 23 students had been discharged, while three remained in hospital for further care and observation.

UNICEF Jamaica used the Early Childhood Commission’s seventh annual professional development institute in Montego Bay to reaffirm support for early childhood recovery and resilience after climate-related disasters. Deputy representative Muhammad Mujihoden said protecting young children must remain central as another hurricane season approaches.

In business, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association staged its Manufacturing 360 conference at the AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston, focusing on recovery, supply chains, logistics, insurance and access to capital after Hurricane Melissa’s impact on manufacturers.

Regional reports covered Cuba’s condemnation of a United States indictment of former president Raul Castro, Trinidad and Tobago’s warning against complacency despite a quieter hurricane forecast, and St. Lucia’s draft national migration policy. In sports, Portmore United reached the Jamaica Premier League final with a 4-3 aggregate win over Mount Pleasant, while Trinidad and Tobago Red Force won the 2026 West Indies Championship.