Of course, it is difficult to lose someone as brilliant as Dr Nigel Clarke from the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, but it was inevitable.

Dr Clarke has become increasingly well respected in international financial circles. Indeed, with his credentials, he must have been flooded with offers. One critic, in a Nationwide News Network vox pop, said that Minister Clarke “should stay to finish the job”, to which the minister later replied wisely that such a job could really never be “finished”.

We should be grateful that he stayed the course for six years — through the COVID-19 crisis and was instrumental in negotiating the World Bank 2021 catastrophe (Cat) bond. Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Chairman Keith Duncan announced its renewal at the Committee’s May press briefing, noting that this would finance US$150 million of insurance coverage for the Government of Jamaica against named storms. The bond covers hurricane seasons up to 2027.

The EPOC chair, also noting that as a result of meeting the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) targets and structural benchmarks for the second review of Jamaica’s precautionary and liquidity line (PLL) and resilience and sustainability facility (RSL) arrangements said, “The successful completion of the review unlocked SDR191.45 million [approximately US$253.9 million] under the RSF, which was credited to the GOJ [Government of Jamaica] on March 1, 2024.” How timely: those funds are now being deployed for post-Beryl restoration.

Minister Clarke, with the “enhanced financial supervision” of the Bank of Jamaica, is leaving his ministry in good order. This is not to dismiss the calls of government employees and other public sector workers for a fair response to their ongoing negotiations. At this point I will call no names, but there are sound candidates who will bring their own brand of excellence to the ministry.

CCRP, the seniors advocacy organisation, had written to Minister Clarke last year asking for the tax ceiling to be raised on the earnings of pensioners, and we were heartened that he responded. Now pensioners 65 and over have a tax-free entitlement of $2,065,150 for the current year and $2,200,168 from next year onwards. Thank you for being a listening ear Dr Clarke, and godspeed to the position of deputy general manager at the IMF.

Tessanne Chin

Two Saturdays ago, students of Tessanne Chin’s Voice Box music programme and her intensive summer course brought the house down at Campion College auditorium. We should not be surprised, because their instructor and director, Chin, wowed the entire world as she sailed through to the 2013 finals of
The Voice and emerged victorious.

“Voice Box started in 2021 when a friend asked me to help prepare her daughter for an audition at school,” shared Tessanne. “It grew to about six kids. Voice Box is currently in the process of adding others from our summer intensive so we don’t know yet how many in total, but it might be around 25-30.”

Reflecting on her childhood days with Cathy Levy’s Little People, she says, “Little People is definitely an inspiration for Voice Box, Miss Levy really set the bar quite high and also was the first that I know of to create a space for kids to hone and develop their talents and love of the performing arts.”

“It changed my life,” she notes, “so I know the value of such a space, and I know how vital it is for kids to be able to express themselves and be confident in taking up space and using their voices, figuratively and literally speaking.”

Asked if she continues to perform, she laughs as she responds with her famous line, “That’s still my bread and butter! I am in the process of recording, but it’s safe to say that I sing from a different place and perspective now. It’s wonderful to have the freedom to sing and not be too concerned about all the other stuff that comes with it.”

Chin and husband Brandon Crooks have two young children. “Becoming a mother has put a lot of things into perspective for me, as well as Voice Box,” she says. “And it’s a privilege to do what one loves while also knowing that you are not just what you do.”

At the end of her summer concert, Chin awarded a $500,000 scholarship to top performer Sasha Gay Sutherland, who brought the audience to their feet.

“Sasha Gay Sutherland is everything you would want in a student,” declared Chin. “She’s dedicated, determined, reliable, humble, full of integrity, and the list goes on. She just happens to be a gifted singer as well, and it’s been an absolute joy to see her coming into her own. We at the Tessanne Chin Foundation believe she has earned this opportunity to further her studies and has proven to us that she has the grit and the discipline to see it through.”

Chin has used her talent and experience to bring out the best in her students. On a personal note, our family could not be prouder of Hubie’s grandniece, eight-year-old Arya Chin, who delivered her solo parts beautifully. Those young singers will be making headlines one day, thanks to their generous and passionate teacher.

Smart Rooms Upskill Students

Since last year, Digicel Foundation has been establishing smart rooms in primary schools all over Jamaica. Digicel Jamaica Foundation Public Relations Manager Kedisha Clarke explained, “The rooms include 12 laptops with headsets; 12 tablets with headsets; a printer; a smart board; and a smart lock on the door for security. Each room is completely renovated with two AC units installed.”

Eleven smart rooms have been established so far at Anchovy Primary School, St James; Harry Watch Primary School, Manchester; Harbour View Primary School, St Andrew; Old Harbour Primary and Homestead Primary schools, St Catherine; Esher Primary School, Hanover; Unity Primary School, Westmoreland; Boundbrook Primary School, Portland; Four Paths Primary and Mineral Heights Primary schools, Clarendon; Morant Bay Primary School, St Thomas.

Digicel Foundation CEO Charmaine Daniels noted, “The purpose of the rooms is to bridge the digital divide and expose youth from an early age to STEAM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] careers. We have a target of 20 smart rooms, so there are nine more to go.”

Cheryl Grant-Mitchell, principal of Anchovy Primary, said, “All classes have completed a basic coding course. Students were entered for coding in World Skills Competition and were placed first, owing to the inclusion of ICT. Reading and basic literacy skills have been improved on a continuum, tipping up to 40 per cent. The versatility of the Mimio smartboard has made this one of the most valuable pieces of resources in the school. We have employed a STEM approach to our upper school classes and the ICT equipment in the smart room will be the vehicle that will drive this experimental approach.” These smart rooms are future-proofing our children.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is founder of CCRP, a 30th anniversary legacy project of her company, PROComm. Send comments to lowriechin@aim.com.