KINGSTON, Jamaica — Records and information management across government is being streamlined under a special programme being implemented by the Jamaica Archives and Records Department (JARD), an agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in collaboration with the Cabinet Office.

All ministries, departments and agencies are being targeted under the initiative, which was officially launched in October 2018, following Cabinet’s approval of the Government’s records and information management policy.

The policy outlines standards for effective records and information management by ministries, departments and agencies, through standardisation of their operations, thereby reducing the timeline for retrieval of material being requested by the public.

Acting Principal Director for the Information Division in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dwayne Cargill, said a key element of the records and information management programme is modernisation of the JARD, which is slated to be transformed into the proposed National Archives and Records Management Authority.

The other focus areas are modernising the records management legislative and regulatory framework, which is governed by the Archives Act and accompanying Regulations; enhancing human resources and organisational structures for records and information management in ministries, departments and agencies; implementation of records and information management standards, including a standardised records and information management classification system; and digitisation of records and information and stakeholder capacity building for records and information management and information management practitioners/records managers.