A new special education diagnostic centre, being built by the Government in Portland, is expected to open in September.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon made the disclosure on July 7 at Rotary Club of St Andrew’s 60th installation ceremony held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

The facility, which is being set up at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), will eliminate the need for families in eastern Jamaica to travel to Kingston for developmental and educational assessments.

“People who live in Portland [and] St Mary don’t have to come to Kingston to get their child assessed. They can now do it in Portland. They don’t have to travel this long distance to receive basic support for their children,” Dr Morris Dixon said.

“This is a part of our policy to have more diagnostic centres across the country,” she added.

Up to December 2024, construction of two other diagnostic facilities was completed at Church Teachers’ College in Manchester and Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St James.

Relating her own experience as a parent of a special needs child, and the challenges faced, the education minister said that the Government is making the necessary steps to improve access to support, including policy measures.

Morris Dixon said that the ministry is also looking at increasing enrolment in special education training to adequately staff the facilities.

“I need people in there who can administer the diagnostic test and provide the reports, and there is a shortage of that in Jamaica. So building the structure is one thing, staffing it is the other concern, and so we are intervening there in the supply of professional talent,” she noted.

She said scholarships are available for studies in areas such as educational psychology, clinical psychology, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.

There are also funding options for therapeutic care for children with special needs under the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Barry Wint Scholarship programme.

“So if any of you have any young people thinking about where they want to go in life, given this data that we have globally, that there are going to be more special needs children that need care, this is an area I would hope you would encourage young people to go in. And there are scholarships that are available for them,” Morris Dixon said.