Lead Story: May 1, 2026 | @CVMTVNews

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:01]Oh, me. See it happen on CVMTV. I'm out.

[00:00:08][music] [music] >> [music] >> Heat >> [music] [music] [music] >> tonight. [music] The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority Bill arise in the Senate. [music] But before the upper house votes, the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement, [music] JABM, warns that NAR contains a mechanisms to permanently strip [music] Jamaicans of their customary rights to the beach. We examine the specific provisions and the legal arguments. [music] Also tonight, the Cyber Crimes Amendment Act [music] passed the Jamaican Senate today. It's now pretty much law. So we ask, is the public [music] better protected? And are the institutions asked to enforce the law ready to do so?

[00:01:58]Then more than 30,000 grade six students sack the primary exit profile this week.

[00:02:05]The ministry calls it a success. Tonight we ask the [music] principles and coordinators in the rooms. Does that word success tell the whole story? and a free medical mission in Petersfield, West Milan [music] tomorrow. In a community still rebuilding from Hurricane Melissa, who is making sure Jamaicans are not neglecting their health in the rush to rebuild their homes. I'm Jodian [music] Quarry and this is Lean's story.

[00:02:49][music] >> [music] [music] >> The National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority Bill, NAR, passed the House of Representatives in the early hours of Wednesday morning, April 29. The vote was 31 to 15. 16 lawmakers were absent. More than 20 amendments were debated, but not one proposed by the opposition was accepted in the lower house. The bill now sits before the Senate. The government's case is straightforward. Hurricane Melissa caused an estimated 12.2 billion United States dollars in damage. More than 215,000 structures were affected. Jamaica, they said, cannot afford the pace of ordinary bureaucracy. N is a mechanism to move at the speed the damage demands. Let's take a look at this afternoon's sitting of the Senate.

[00:04:05]>> The provisions in section 21, sections 21 to 24 have definitely been miscaracterized in some of the public commentary. Yeah, >> the ministerial direction powers in this bill are not a blanket override of every regulatory authority in Jamaica. Allow me to explain how these provisions work because the stepin order is not a first resort. It is in fact a last resort and there are multiple procedural hurdles that must be crossed before it can be used. First, there must be independent technical advice. Independent technical advice.

[00:04:54]Where a regulatory body has not acted within the timeline required for reconstruction to proceed, the minister may issue a formal direction regard requiring that body to act within a specified period. But that direction must be based on independent technical advice. They're not just getting up and saying, "Oh, let me approve this." They have to have independent technical advice. And so this would include environmental and safety concerns that may have been identified and communicated. So the regulatory body is never going to be silenced. It is being required to act on what it already knows within a reasonable time. The second not the second is notification and opportunity to respond. Before a direction takes effect, the regulatory body must be notified and given an opportunity to explain why it has not acted and what outstanding issues remain. If those issues are substantive, for example, if the environmental authority has identified a genuine environmental risk, if the planning authority has identified a genuine safety concern, those concerns must be addressed before the direction is enforced. The direction power is not a mechanism to override a regulatory body that has acted and said note on legitimate grounds. Only when all of those steps have been exhausted, independent technical advice, formal direction, notification, opportunity to respond, failure to act does the stepping order become available.

[00:06:41]And that's Senator Dana Morris Dixon this afternoon inside the Senate as the discussions on the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority NAR bill began. It didn't come wasn't completed today. It will complete or continue at least into the next sitting of the Senate. But this morning, the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement indicated something urgent to the nation. Their argument is this, that NAR, as written, will constructively incapacitate prescriptive rights. Those are the customary rights that ordinary Jamaicans and fishing communities have relied on for generations to access and use their beaches. The legal foundation for those rights is the prescription act of 1882.

[00:07:30]And JABM is currently collaborating with vulnerable communities on not one, not two, but five active legal cases in the courts defending access to beaches against the government agencies and private land owners that may want to utilize them. Every one of these cases is grounded in the prescription act of 1882. So tonight, as we look at NAR now making its way to the Senate and the concerns that are being raised, we're joined by Dr. Devon Taylor, president of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement, JABM. Hi, Dr. Taylor and welcome.

[00:08:09]>> Greetings. Greetings. Thanks for having me.

[00:08:11]>> Dr. Taylor Jabm's brief argues that NAR will constructively incapacitate prescriptive rights under the prescription act of 1882.

[00:08:22]Before we get to the bill, what legal protection does that piece of legislation, the prescription act ordinarily give Jamaicans that have been accessing beaches for generations?

[00:08:35]>> Yes. So the prescription act of 1882 which is the dominant piece of legislative um you know framework that we are using is grounded in the customary right of the Jamaican people to continue to access their beaches. It as as a matter of fact it is the legislation that the beach control act of 1956 points to as um the tool that we can use to secure our common law rights.

[00:09:02]And so um that is the tool we are using and that tool is under threat by the way our NAR is constructed and so we have to point that out to the nation because the different mechanism in NR or the same mechanism that are present in the beach control act of 1956 that the government does not use. You do not see the government out there protecting people beach access rights.

[00:09:26]to see job m doing that because the government have failed to actually step in and protect the people when the NRCA should be doing its job. It is not. So we do see N is going to operate in a similar context that even though I just heard the minister talk about that these measures will not be the first um go to but I mean they will not be the second go to the third go to either right they will be the tools that we'll use because this um bill is about acceleration moving at speed fast getting these jobs done and prescriptive right is something that you develop over 20 years. It's a slow process as you walk through the court to secure your rights. And so we are in a um a space right now where we know that they will violate our prescriptive rights because it is happening right now. We have the UDC in court government statuto body. We have the commissioner of land government statuto body. We have the airport authority government statuto body. We have the Portland Municipal Corporation.

[00:10:37]So the government can say what it can say, but the lived reality of the Jamaican people is that it does not stand up for us as it relates to beach access.

[00:10:47]>> Dr. Taylor, this week Jamaica's constitutional court, the full court ruled that a minister cannot override a technical regulatory body without evidencebased justification. That was the Bengal Dry Harbor Mountains ruling.

[00:11:03]Does the judgment have any direct relevance to the legal arguments against Nara's stein and administerial powers and the things that you're complaining of tonight?

[00:11:14]>> It does and we're happy with that ruling because it shows that you know I mean the environment has value and people's rights has value. So we know that we will challenge N if NRA tries to um you know hurt our community and we will challenge N if these amendments are not made in the interest of the Jamaican people. So we are prepared to move into judicial review mode. We are prepared to move into constitutional protection mode but we are giving the government an opportunity to amend NR so it does not violate the prescription act of 1882.

[00:11:51]NRA does not even mention that piece of legislation and most of Nara's project will be coastal projects. I mean it's the coastline starting from um St. Elizabeth within Black River. You come into um Anova, you go into Montego Bay, you go into Falmouth, majority of these projects are coastal project and the entire coastline along these spaces are occupied by fisher folks and also by government rights to it. So therefore the prescription act will be a the major tool that stands to be violated and it is the only one that is remain that the people can use to protect their rights to the coast. This is why we're using it. So if NAR was pro people, if NAR was pro um you know rights, it would take into consideration people's protective rights and nothing has been said about um prescription rights in NAR and we're asking them to make that amendment otherwise you know we're going to be um locked in legal fights and they may not be able to move fast because we the Jamaican people are not going to surrender the coastline.

[00:12:57]>> Dr. Devin Taylor, president of the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement. Thank you so much for joining us this evening inside lead story, helping us better understand the concerns and giving the senators who now have the bill before them more to consider as amendments might be taken there when the House or rather when the Senate takes a look at this piece of legislation. Thanks so much for joining us.

[00:13:24]>> Coming up, thank you. The Cyber Crimes Amendment Act passed the Senate today without a single amendment. Another piece of legislation that's now law. Is the public better protected? And are the institutions asked to enforce this law ready? We ask a privacy practitioner when [music] we return.

[00:13:43][music] [music] Every day we use our feet to walk, run, and take us places. But your feet can do something even more amazing. Join Guardian Group's Shine 5K nightun walk and make us pride to [music] support KPH, the Falmouth Hospital, and Project Star. Saturday, May 23 [music] in Kingston and Saturday May 30 in Montego Bay. Register at runtoshineja.com or running [music] eventsja.com and see you at Guardian Group Shine 5K Night Run Walk.

[00:14:32]>> It's the creativity on the left.

[00:14:35]>> Brilliant. Worth every penny to step over there. He walks past him and then it's just about opening up for a shot but Mo [cheering] The unthinkable unfolds [cheering] before our eyes.

[00:14:59]>> Jamaica's unemployment [music] rate has fallen to 3.3% down from 13.2% in 2016. Our government's continued [music] focus on job creation is delivering real results.

[00:15:12]We are building Jamaica. The time by the office of [music] the prime minister is Hi, I'm I am Kang.

[00:15:26][music] >> What awan.

[00:15:37]Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. 1:30 [music] p.m. and 1000 p.m. on CVM TV.

[00:15:46]Hi. [music] It was a busy day for the Senate today because earlier the Jamaican Senate passed the Cyber Crimes Amendment Act into law. The bill was taken through the committee stage clause by clause that took about 30 seconds and by the whole Senate. It passed without amendment. It went through the entire process today.

[00:16:25]Debates everything. Then it received its third reading. That's how a bill becomes a law. And I'm telling you that took 30 seconds as well. Passed without amendment. And with that swift process, after a long debate today, Jamaica now has an amended cyber crime framework on the statute books. What that framework contains, a new offense for knowingly allowing premises to be used for cyber crime carrying penalties up to 15 years, a clause, clause six, criminalizes the manufacturer, distribution, and possession of hacking tools with criminal intent. Child protection provisions have been strengthened with harsher penalties for offenses targeting minors. And the Senate today also heard a call from one senator, Senator Alan Bernard, for mandatory bodywn cameras for police. A signal that on the very day this law has passed, senators were themselves identifying accountability gaps in the enforcement infrastructure that will be asked to implement it. Now what the law does not expressly address, it doesn't talk about things like artificial intelligence generated content, deep fakes, forge digital documents. The government's position has been that the act is technologically neutral and it doesn't name specific technologies because technologies they change and they change so quickly and the framework can accommodate new threats without naming them. Let's hear from Senator Kimina Johnson Smith responsible for taking this piece of legislation through the Senate today.

[00:18:00]Um I also want to perhaps start with the the issue of the inclusion of AI, the recommended inclusion of AI. And just to say so the discussion which uh Senator Scott Mley may have had with Minister Weekly would have to be nuanced in the fact that there is a council that has been established. It is reviewing um and the review which I referred to in my intervention as well that has to be ongoing will take into consideration offenses which may be manifest by artificial intelligence to verify that they are either already addressed in the bill or require further work. So that is that review is being done because it's not it's not established that they won't be addressed. We had actually started that.

[00:18:53]>> Right. Right. No, because there's a review because they want to verify that what the bill has is sufficient or is not. So the the conclusion has not yet been drawn. The work is underway. But what the intention so far as I understand what is not the intention is to start to make the bill technology specific. So while I understand the emotional response to saying that if AI is not stated in the bill and it cannot deal with AI offenses, I want to assure that there is actually >> not yours, not your intervention.

[00:19:38]Senator Small Ferguson had um had specifically said that he thought that AI should be referenced in the bill.

[00:19:46]>> And that gives you a taste of some of the discussion that took place in the Senate today. That was Senator Camino Johnson Smith. They're talking about the amendment to the Cyber Crimes Act. But the opposition raised a concern that the Senate didn't resolve through the amendment today. that the joint select committee recommendations on which this law is based were completed in 2023.

[00:20:09]Three years passed before the bill reached parliament. And in those three years, artificial intelligence, deep fakes, synthetic media, and online extortion scaled in ways no committee report from the first half of 2023 could have fully anticipated. The law is now enacted. The question tonight is no longer what parliament should do. We're past that stage. The question is now what parliament has done. Is that sufficient? And whether the institutions asked to enforce this law are ready to do so. We're joined tonight by Chuck Cameron, attorney at law and privacy practitioner. Thanks so much for joining us.

[00:20:45]>> My pleasure.

[00:20:45]>> Inside lead story. You're here now.

[00:20:48]You're looking at this piece of legislation. 2023 joint select committee passed the house earlier this year now has made its way through the Senate. at the end of all of this. Is Jamaica better protected this evening than it was this morning?

[00:21:04]>> Yes, it is. Um, and I'm I'm I'm happy how you spoke about identifying that senators were now raising the question of accountability of the state and how we use powers because for me that is one of the biggest wins coming out of the amendments that's not spoken to. And that win is where the legislation now requires the police commissioner to develop a develop a protocol for police officers in to follow in conducting searches of computers and mobile devices and that actually flowed from that amar.

[00:21:41]Well, there was a case before the constitutional court where the constitutional court in my mind failed to address the substantial harm that Jamaican citizens are being exposed to.

[00:21:53]The police force now through this legislation is now to develop a protocol that police officers will follow. What does that mean? Right now, the first thing police do as their primary means of investigation is take your phone and go through it. And that is a critical piece of intelligence gathering.

[00:22:15]>> Is this coming out as well from the Sean Campbell and others case, the vibes cartel case that most people would have um known it as where this issue of telecommunications was brought all the way to the private council. They didn't have to rule on that in order to make the substantive rulings. But for many attorneys, they saw this as such a key issue that did need to be reflected in our legislation. So that really raised the ev the evidential chain of burden of chain of burden. But this one more speaks to the amorian is a is a case really speaks to your constitutional right to informationational privacy. So while >> so before you get to what evidence you get from my phone, can you even open and use my phone? Can you open and take information from my phone?

[00:23:00]>> How do you go about taking information from your phone? So that was a big win coming out that that that's not that that's not headline news so it hasn't been spoken about but that is one of the biggest win for accountability and how do Jamaican citizens hold the state accountable. Um in terms of children, a strong as we heard I heard the minister say the center say earlier a strong policy message was sent in that we have to protect children especially in this new era there the question is while they raised the ceiling so high they didn't change a lot of the other penalties that's coming at 2 years but this one is so agreed is so far out there know 20 years it really sends a a positive message. Um it opens up the concept of what sharing these intimate images and who is responsible for it. A similar discussion we had the other >> and this is him referencing lead story prime and us talking about protection of children and the kind of information that is shared to and with ch children and shared by them and the kind of protections that they should expect >> following on well the law now makes it a criminal offense to publish the information. So no longer is it only an offense to share it with another individual but when you publish it the what must happen however in relation to that publishing and now you're making landlords or Airbnb owners accountable the government must mount an extensive public awareness campaign because it cannot be these innocuous acts or these acts that they may not necessarily appreciate carry criminal sanctions. sharing this information. What does that mean? What is what why would an Airbnb or landlord uh get involved in this?

[00:24:58]>> So, this is where the legislation now holds a landlord or somebody who the owner of a property accountable if someone within their premises is conducting some type of cyber crime.

[00:25:14]So, that one is a tall order. Um but people must be aware about it and it and the danger is well the danger is that you can be charged you now have to find an attorney and mount in the defense. It is an obligation of the government to make all owners of property aware of this.

[00:25:38]>> Aware of their criminal liability, aware of the risks to whom they lend spaces to, rent spaces to allow to occupy their even their homes as guests if they're coming into those spaces. That then is such a a serious issue. Another issue though that has been raised is the technological neutrality of this piece of legislation. And you heard Senator Camino Johnson Smith saying the law is technologically neutral. It doesn't talk about artificial intelligence by name, deep fake, synthetic media, arguing that the government says that the framework can capture those harms anyway.

[00:26:16]You're an attorney. You're in this space. Does that argument hold when a case actually reaches court?

[00:26:22]>> Yes, it does. And I c I embrace that 100%. But again, you ask the right question. Does it necessarily hold? Not necessarily all the time, but that is the right approach because AI, the development of AI is happening so fast.

[00:26:39]What if they were to legislate this to be an offense, that to be an offense, and between yesterday and today, something else came up?

[00:26:47]>> So, we have, for example, the new model from Anthropic that is now making it so incredibly difficult for banks around the world. between one month and the next then we can have massive leaps in this that crimes we couldn't think of in January could now be regular things >> and if it's not prescribed it it you can get away with it so from a legislative point of view I embrace that position 100% it must be agnostic what it beg it begs the question though how often do we review legislation >> well the government has committed to reviewing cyber crime legislation more frequently going forward. The House made that commitment in February. It wasn't converted into something binding into this piece of legislation today though.

[00:27:32]What does that mean? Because it sounds nice when you say it. Nothing in this legislation says we have to come back to it every 6 months.

[00:27:38]>> Um 6 months may be a bit much, but >> a year a year. Well, there it it has to be legislated. It has to be mandated because there will all be always be competing priorities. So when you have something that there's a law that says you must do something as opposed to a nice to do, we know what choice is going to be made.

[00:27:56]>> A nice to do doesn't move us as much as we would love to see in this country.

[00:28:01]Quickly before we go, you had spoken about that accountability discussion that was raised. Senator Alan Bernard talked about it asking for mandatory body warn cameras to police officers.

[00:28:12]This is now on the day the cyber crime act is enacted. the sen the Senate is simultaneously seeing accountability gaps and calling them out when they're talking about the enforcement infrastructure that will be asked to implement it. What does that mean for you to hear that side by side today?

[00:28:28]>> Um on a a positive outcome, there's an appreciation of a thread that binds all these separate pieces of legislation together and understanding that we live in a in a complete world. We don't live in silos. So I am happy that the issues are being put on the table. At the same time um the question the substantive issue itself though um whether or not um body word cam must be mandatory that is strictly a decision for the police force.

[00:29:00]>> Well it's certainly one that has generated quite a lot of concern. We heard from Minister of National Security and Peace saying that the uniforms that the officers are again wearing after a change already because uniforms were inappropriate still now up for review.

[00:29:17]So this is a discussion that we have to have. But this piece of legislation passing today, big news for Jamaica and we just heard from Chuck Cameron letting us know that we are better and safer this evening than we were this morning thanks to its pack passage. Chuck Cameron, privacy practitioner and attorney at law. Thank you so very much for joining us.

[00:29:36]>> My pleasure.

[00:29:36]>> Inside lead story. All right, still ahead. More than 31,000 grade six students sat the primary exit profile PEP exam this week. The Ministry of Education [music] says the exams were successfully administered. Tonight, we hear from two educators who were in the room. Their assessment may be more complicated than the official statement suggests. that conversation when we [music] return.

[00:30:08][music] Jamaica, make we do the right thing.

[00:30:16]Make we live good today for a better tomorrow. Talk it out. Don't fight it out. The time by the Ministry of National Security is >> 6:30.

[00:30:27]Every dream conquered [music] is another dream game. I land and I fly again like a jet.

[00:30:36]Heading straight in your direction cuz I'm riser [music] one step closer.

[00:30:43]I'm winning cuz I work so hard and [music] the music keeps playing and the people never say we are.

[00:30:55]Oh, [music] what a feeling. Don't stop dreaming. Keep on believing in the power of the feeling. Whatever you want, take a chance in [music] your heart. Step in your dance. Don't for [music] >> [music] >> On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, 31,86 grade six students across Jamaica sat teeny tiny people hard exams, 2026 primary exit profile PEP examinations.

[00:31:47]The Ministry of Education has issued a statement. It described the sitting as successfully administered. It cited careful planning, inclusive policies, and adaptive strategies. The ministry isn't wrong though to say that adjustments were made. They were performance tasks were cancelled.

[00:32:05]Science and social studies were removed from the grade six assessment. The curriculum itself was revised for grades 1 through nine. The grade nine achievement test for 2026 has been suspended entirely.

[00:32:20]615 students received special accommodations.

[00:32:24]Temporary weather resistance structures were deployed where school relocation was not feasible. And yet the acting principal of Giddy Hall Primary in St. Elizabeth told the Gleaner this week, "We still don't have any roof, so I have to dismiss them very early when I see it setting up to rain." Those students under tarpolin without electricity in a parish among the hardest hit by the hurricane hurricane Melissa last October sat the same national assessment on the same days as students in Kingston in those schools where teachers gave up their Easter holidays to run extra preparations sessions. So tonight we're not looking at whether successful administration of the exams took place.

[00:33:10]The question is whether the results when they come will be read with an understanding of the conditions under which they were produced.

[00:33:19]Tonight we're joined by Calvin Harris, principal of Marley Mount Primary School and Michelle Russell, grade 6 coordinator at St. Alaricious Primary School. Good evening to you both. Thanks so much for joining us.

[00:33:33]>> Good evening.

[00:33:35]>> All right.

[00:33:35]>> Good evening.

[00:33:36]>> Thank you so much for joining us. Calvin Harris, first off, talk to us about where your school is located in on the island.

[00:33:45]>> So, Maron Primary, it is uh on the outskirt of Saba um just about 3 kilometers away from the town center.

[00:33:55]So, we're actually in St. Catherine.

[00:33:57]>> In St. Catherine, were you impacted or affected by Hurricane Melissa last year?

[00:34:04]>> Not uh we were not significantly impacted. um just a few uh we had minor minor challenges but um it went well for for the most part so we didn't have much challenges in that regard.

[00:34:17]>> I think that's so important for us to state the ministry has described the 2026 PEP exams as successfully administered as a principal whose students sat those exams does that phrase successfully administered capture the full picture of what your school community experienced?

[00:34:36]Yes, I must commend the ministry of education um for the uh the administration or supervising the administration of the examinations. I know for us we had 188 students who sat the exam and all the the necessary things were put in place for our students to ensure that they had a fair chance of doing well in the examinations.

[00:34:59]Uh my commendation also is that special arrangements were made for students with special needs. So we had students with special needs and special accommodations were made. So we had about four students and of course the special accommodations was was made for those students. So in my estimation I think um the ministry would have done an exceptional job in making sure that the students get the best possible opportunity to do well in the exams.

[00:35:26]>> I think that's so important for us to highlight that this was a collaborative effort. the Ministry of Education, schools, parents, teachers coming together to make this year sitting possible. But Principal Harris, changes had to be made in order to have a uniform examination and allow for these students to even sit it this year.

[00:35:47]Performance tasks were cancelled, science and social studies were removed, the curriculum was revised. In your experience, were those adjustments sufficient to give your students a fair foundation for what they actually said?

[00:36:01]Yes, I uh in the most part I think it it was I think it's a good judgment on the part of the ministry and all of us in stakeholders in ensuring that our students were not overburdened uh by the curriculum in its entirety having been out of school sometimes uh for up to 2 to 3 weeks and so u I'm not just considering those of us who are least affected but those um schools that were affected in the west as well. So in my estimation I really think that the ministry uh would have done an exceptional job in in thinking about all the factors and making sure that the curriculum was tailored uh based on these um challenges they would have experienced and also the exam itself. I think it was advised based on what have gone on the ground the students were quite comfortable with the examination that they sat.

[00:36:51]>> Michelle [clears throat and snorts] Russell you are a grade 6 coordinate at St. Alawishia's primary school. help us geollocate you here in Jamaica. Where is that school located?

[00:37:01]>> So, St. Alia's Primary, we are on Duke Street, just down the road from our parliament building.

[00:37:09]>> There you go. A good place to be. We've had quite a lot of parliamentary discussions today, discussing the Senate and pieces of legislation passed. So, what a good place for your kids to be as a grade six coordinator. you are closest to the individual student readiness in your honest professional assessment.

[00:37:27]Were your students ready to sit a national assessment in April 2026?

[00:37:32]>> Yes, we were. Um Saint at St. Alawishas, we work overtime to ensure the readiness of our students. Mind you, it was a lot of sacrifice from both parents and students and teachers. We sacrificed our holidays. We sacrificed our Saturdays just to be there to meet the educational needs of the students and um I think our students are did well yesterday. They came out, they were relaxed, they were confident in what they did over the two days and the ministry did as our principal said u made some accommodations for those students who had special needs and it was a successful sitting.

[00:38:13]It's so important that you highlighted that because for many persons as they're sitting and they're listening, they're saying great. They're glad to hear that those students that you would have been in charge of would have had a good time.

[00:38:27]But the placement model this year uses a three-year composite, grade four, grade five, and grade six scores. Some of these children also had their grade five year disrupted by the tail end of the pandemic.

[00:38:39]>> Yes, they did. is a three-year composite that includes two years of disruption, a fair basis on which to determine a child's high school placement that will given how Jamaica operates for many of them follow them for the rest of their lives.

[00:38:54]>> You know, I I believe so because bear in mind, you know, from grade 1 to grade three is also considered early childhood, a part of their early childhood development. moving over to grade six, grade four, five, and six.

[00:39:07]That's where the primary work actually starts. And I think it's adequate timing for them to to create that profile, educational profile that could follow them and will follow them for the rest of their life. It's a good foundation.

[00:39:22]>> I I think it's so solid to say that in this time, but you are on Duke Street.

[00:39:27]Principal Harris is in St. Katherine.

[00:39:30]Have Let me start with you first. Have you spoken with your counterparts in other sections of the country about how their students were fairing and the conditions that they had to deal with leading up to the exams?

[00:39:43]>> No, I have not really had conversations outside of Kingston with any of my counterparts. No. Principal Harris, have you have you been speaking with other principles, other administrators, other teachers about what it has looked like after Hurricane Melissa to get the children back in school, get them focused, get them settled, and prepare them to take the PEP exams?

[00:40:05]>> To be honest with you, we actually um Marley Mount as a school uh took a trip down to uh to to um St. Elizabeth um as a school to support one of our schools there. and we were able to see firsthand the challenges that they were experiencing. So, um I know it was would have been difficult for them because of course um many of the schools who have been devastated by the hurricane and of course displaced many of the students were displaced. Um subsequent to that we have not had much conversation but the first ad view as a principal I would have figured more or less it would have been challenging um without electricity without water um uh the roofs gone and then of course phasing in um students coming in and so on would have posed a challenge. So the fact that the ministry would have considered to tailor the curriculum and also to adjust the examination to meet the needs of these students or where they're at >> [clears throat] >> um would have been commendable because I would have been there myself to see what it was like and we took students as well and parents and other teachers. We went on a trip down just to to lend our support um as a part of our Christmas gift to um one of the school out west.

[00:41:21]So we know it would have been challenging for them subsequent since the examinations would have passed it would have appreciated it was just yesterday. So I've not been able to reach out to that school or any other school in the west to find out how the uh the teachers would have responded teachers and students felt about the examination itself.

[00:41:38]>> And I'm glad you said that you were able to take students, teachers and parents along so that they could appreciate not only what they were dealing with but what other students across the country would have been dealing with as a result of the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The sittings of the PEP examinations were on Wednesday and Thursday. We're now waiting for the results to you both.

[00:42:00]When the results come in later this year, what should policymakers be asking about those numbers rather than simply accepting them as a straightforward measure of student performance? Because this is a difficult year, Calvin Harris, to you first and then to Michelle Russell as we close.

[00:42:17]>> Well, I would have been modest. They would have um looked at the level of difficulty. They would do looked at um they would be looking at how students performed um in those least affected areas versus those students who are affected out west um to do some comparisons to figure more or less whether or not the exam was balanced enough for those students. I figure more or less even with the placement of the students um that those are going to be considerations um as relates to the students sitting the examination. So I know um coming out of the exam there are quite a few variables that they'll be looking on um looking at to ensure that um going forward um these uh these uh the areas of weaknesses or the strengths would be strengthened and the areas of weaknesses would have been um dealt with. But I know uh there will be some comparison um and there should be some comparison as it relates to how the students who are least affected um performed versus those students who were outwit significantly affected. I think that's important. Final word to you Michelle Russell. What do you think policy makers should look at?

[00:43:18]>> No, there must be serious analysis on these exam results and as or the principal said there must be also comparison. How did the students in Kingston or the least affected areas?

[00:43:32]How did they operate? How did they score? and then compared to the ones in the areas that were affected and then necessary adjustment must be made to accommodate those students who were affected. We have to put something in place for them because we have we can't leave our children um behind. We have to bring everybody up to the same standard at the same level.

[00:43:55]>> So important there. Our baby sat their PEP exams on Wednesday and Thursday, but different children had different sorts of expectations around them, school situations and preparation. Glad to have had you both join us though to tell us what those exams looked like and to give kudos to the Ministry of Education where they were able to make adjustments.

[00:44:18]Calvin Harris, principal of Marley Mount Primary and Michelle Russell, grade 6 coordinator at St. Alawishas Primary.

[00:44:24]Thank you both so much for joining us tonight inside Lead Story.

[00:44:30]Coming up, a free medical mission in Petersfield, West Milan tomorrow. That's what we're talking about next inside [music] Lead Story.

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[00:45:47]>> Every dream conquered is another dream game. I [music] land and I fly again like a jet straight cuz I'm [music] one step closer. I'm winning cuz I work so hard and the music keeps on playing and the people never say we [music] are my oh what a feeling don't stop dreaming [music] keep on believing in the power of the feeling whatever you want take a chance in your heart you got a spark [music] shining >> [music] >> Tomorrow morning, Saturday, May 2, a free medical mission will be held at the Petersfield Primary and Infant School in West Miland.

[00:46:57]The event runs from 10:00 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. Free patient care, free medical checkups, home visits, and free transportation for those who need it. It's being organized by Serve It Forward. The frame around this mission though is important because Westland is among the parishes most severely affected by Hurricane Melissa.

[00:47:21]Communities there are still rebuilding.

[00:47:23]And when families are in survival and reconstruction mode, health screenings are often the first things to go. Missed medication, unmonitored hypertension, diabetes management disrupted.

[00:47:36]Mental health unressed, but tonight we're dealing with a set of people who said not on our watch. And I'm now being joined by Dr. Aisha Simone Brown, medical doctor and serve it forwards western region medical correspondent.

[00:47:54]Good evening Dr. Brown and welcome to the story.

[00:47:57]>> Hi, good evening. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Asa Simone. Asa Simone >> and I'm very happy to be here.

[00:48:03]>> Hi Asia Simone. [clears throat] Dr. Brown. In a posth hurricane environment where families are focused on rebuilding their homes, what's the specific health risk that goes unadressed when routine medical care is repeatedly delayed?

[00:48:18]>> Right. So, in the wake of the worst hurricane that has hit Jamaica, the biggest risks that were posed in the immediate setting would have been the risk to hell from waterbornne diseases.

[00:48:32]we did have spikes of leptosprosis, the risk of um a resurgence of deni.

[00:48:39]However, in the long-term setting, when we have patients that are displaced due to lack of road access or the loss of the health centers, those patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, they're out of medications for prolonged periods. And that's when we have the complications such as stroke, heart attack, and other more less severe comp complications from those chronic illnesses. We also have the risk of spike in pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies because of an actual surge in sometimes consensual or non-consensual sexual activity. So those are some of the risk that we had experienced and also warned about.

[00:49:27]>> You worried about it, you warned about it, but you're now doing something about it. This mission is saying not only are you going to the Petersfield Primary and Infant School, you're also doing home visits, which is a great expansion for people who might not have thought of it.

[00:49:45]Which patients are you specifically trying to reach with that component? And why is facility- based care alone insufficient for those individuals that you're hoping to reach to?

[00:49:56]>> Right. So what I love about the service forward mission, the entire basis of it is surrounding not losing traction with response with hurricane response. So while others may have paused or stopped because we're now in our sixth month post hurricane, Servant Forward said no, we are committed to keep showing up, keep serving and to bring health care right to the people who need it, those who are from underserved communities and those who may have been forgotten. So the most important thing about providing this accessible care is everyone deserves a right to healthcare. So we do have select home visits based on the region that we're serving or the community that we're serving at the time. And in addition to that, we do have doctors on the ground to serve at the Petersfield Primary School. This will actually be our largest turnout with 15 medics including two specialist doctors, a urologist and a gynecologist. So we do have that specialist care available. And we are looking forward to serving a broad range of individuals from children all the way to the elderly because everyone really does deserve accessible health care. Everybody does deserve accessible healthcare and you're having that tomorrow. Up on the screen is a flyer there for Serve It Forward.

[00:51:29]It's taking place tomorrow at the Petersfield Primary and Infant School running from 10:00 to 5:00. But you also said to people, "Hi, we also will try to get you there if we can with a shuttling service, a bus being provided." talk to us about that for those who are in the area who might need that service to be able to come and to get the benefit of the 15 doctors that you've now put together for tomorrow.

[00:51:58]Right. So, we at Serve It Forward are so grateful for our key sponsors. The key sponsor being Carib Caribbean cement who we will in partnership we will be donating actually uh construction supplies which would be cement and also a generator and we will be our partner for transportation is actually Noxford Express. So that would be the shuttle method. And we're so grateful for the partnership because in addition to the doctors, it is not just a medical doctor team. We have support teams. We do have nurses. We have two pharmacists. We even have five medical students. Everything is really bridging the gap. And we're so grateful to have additional support volunteers who are responsible for the community engagement side of things because we're not just focusing on healthcare but also the holistic health which targets mental health and engaging persons in activities, dance, songs, and just getting to talk to someone. Because after all that trauma, sometimes all people need is a listening ear.

[00:53:14]>> They need that listening ear. are going to get it thanks to the very comprehensive setup that it looks like you'll be having tomorrow. The Petersfield Primary and Infant School in West Miland. Um is there anything that people need to sign up for? Do they need to get there early to sign up to sign up for the shuttle, for the bus? Do they need to do anything in order to take advantage of this free um medical mission tomorrow?

[00:53:39]So we have been spreading the word and the best thing I would recommend is to really come out early because we have seen some missions where we've been to St. James um we've supported communities of Cambridge, Salt Spring and Trilani.

[00:53:56]We went to Wakefield and Dside. We've even made it to Bullby and those communities we've seen an influx of patients and sometimes the word does not spread to the inward the more inward sections of the community. So we do have an influx in the mid to late afternoon and based on the travel time because half of our team will be traveling from um from Kingston. So they would need to we would need to leave the area at a reasonable time. So my recommendation really would be to come out early because we want to serve as many people as we can. That is our entire mission.

[00:54:33]>> Well, I do hope that you're able to execute that mission tomorrow as you have the medical mission there at the Petersfield Primary and Infant School in West Miland. Dr. Asia Simone Brown, thank you so much for joining us inside Lead Story.

[00:54:46]>> Sorry. Thank you so much for having us and as we grow I would really love to implore those who are interested in sponsoring and partnering with us. You can find more information on our website at serveitforwardja.com or on Instagram at serveforwardja. Thank you so much.

[00:55:04]>> All right. Thanks so much for joining us. Now remember tomorrow West Milan surrounding communities serving forward will be there to be able to assist you to get the help that [music] is much needed. Let's take a wrap-up of the week you see because [music] at the end of this all this is our week in review. This week generated more than news it generated a pattern. So let's trace it. In Jamaica's House of Representatives, a NAR bill passed at 1:30 in the morning after a marathon sitting that saw the mace, the symbol of parliamentary authority, dislodged from its position [music] by a member of the opposition during a heated clause by clause debate. The member has since acknowledged, that's Dr. Angela Brown Burke, that her action breached [music] parliamentary procedure. The speed of the bill's passage and the temperature of [music] the bait. The debate, however, tells us something about what is at stake. In that same parliament this week, the Senate, the Cyber Crimes [music] Amendment Act passed today without a single amendment. From committee stage to third reading in one sitting, it is now law. On the same day, Senator Bernard called for mandatory bodywn cameras for police. A discussion that has been raging now for about a week and a half and even longer in Jamaica. The legislature enacted a new cyber crime framework and in [music] the same breath identified a gap in the enforcement infrastructure required to implement it. In Jamaica's constitutional court on Wednesday, a three panel judge or a three judge panel that yesterday or Wednesday? yesterday to live out a unanimous ruling.