THIS DAY IN OUR PAST

The following events took place on August 23 in the years identified:

1988:on A National Council Education, as proposed by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), is not in the cards in the immediate future, Neville Gallimore, minister of education, says. Speaking to delegates at the 24th Annual Conference of the JTA in Ocho Rios, Gallimore says he is not prepared to set up a council which will make the Ministry of Education redundant. Gallimore says that according to the JTA’s proposal, the minister will not be chairman of the council and will be compelled to follow the dictates of the council: “According to a document prepared by the People’s National Party (PNP), the National Council should be advisory. The two political parties are agreed on this. The minister of education has been elected to perform a duty and he cannot abdicate his responsibilties.” Gallimore also announces that there is $162 million in the capital budget for repairs to sanitary conveniences in schools. The date for completion is mid-October.

1996:The Millbank suspension footbridge spanning the Rio Grande is as important to hikers as to members of the community, but for some time, it has been in a state of disrepair. At a meeting of the Local Advisory Committee of the Blue Mountain/John Crow Mountain Park, it is noted that financial assistance to effect repairs had been allocated by the Canada Green Fund Project, but this is not sufficient to complete the repairs. According to committee members, the Millbank and Comfort Castle communities are willing to put labour into the project, and assistance is also to be solicited from the Jamaica Defence Force. In the meantime, the Jupiter footbridge – linking the Maroon communities of Moore Town, Ginger House and Cornwall Barracks is also in poor condition.

– The Gleaner Archives