Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
Information Minister Burchell Whiteman (second right) delivers a copy of a user's guide to Neiko Tyndale (left), a student of Dunoon Technical High School in Kingston, to be used in yesterday's launch of The Gleaner-sponsored 'Access to Information Students' Challenge' competition. Joining in the occasion are Dr. Carolyn Gomes (second left), chairperson of the Access to Information Advisory Stakeholders' Committee, and Karin Cooper, corporate affairs manager at the Gleaner Company. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
IT NOW pays to access official Government documents! Yesterday, the Gleaner Company Limited launched its 'Access to Information Students' Challenge' that will see six schools testing the Access to Information (ATI) Act over the next three months.
They are Kingston College, St. George's College, Glenmuir High, Guy's Hill High, Wolmer's Boys and Dunoon Technical.
The competition was launched at Jamaica House in St. Andrew. Among those present were Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman and Dr. Carolyn Gomes, chairperson of the ATI Advisory Stakeholders' Committee.
Outlining the procedures for the competition, Karin Cooper, The Gleaner's corporate affairs manager, said each team will consist of four students and a teacher.
Each school will submit at least four questions to the Access to Information officer at the relevant ministries or agencies, which must be of interest to the particular locality of the school.
The teams will each create a log book documenting all activities relating to questions submitted.
The Gleaner Company and the ATI Stakeholders' Committee will then judge the projects, the deadline for which is January 20, next year.
Photos and interviews of all teams and teachers will be published in The Gleaner's Youthlink magazine throughout the competition and the company's Go-Jamaica website will display the various projects.
PRIZES FOR BEST OVERALL PROJECTS
The Gleaner is providing $100,000 to sponsor the competition, with the two teams with the best overall projects each receiving $16,000. The teachers of the two best teams will also each receive $8,000.
Speaking at the ceremony, Oliver Clarke, the Gleaner Company's chairman and managing director, commended the Government for opening access to public information.
"This Government has been pretty brave to introduce an Access to Information Act," he said, "because this means you are committing to a more open style of Government and that you are trying to give the people the right to know what is happening."
Mr. Clarke noted that an ATI Act changes the ownership of information on official Government documents. The ATI Act was passed in 2003 but a phased implementation began in January last year.
"It gives the public the right to a document and it isn't up to somebody to decide they can keep it and that it's confidential," Mr. Clarke said.
Mr. Clarke added that it is now the public's opportunity to take advantage of the ATI to determine how Government functions.
In his address, Information Minister Burchell Whiteman congratulated the competition's organisers, and urged students to use the ATI to understand the society and help develop their schools and communities.
He said: "The broader society will benefit from the infusion of a cadre of young persons more aware and better informed on important issues of concern ..." Mr. Whiteman said.
The minister emphasised that the ATI Act can only be used to access existing Government documents.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Neiko Tyndale, a student at Dunoon Technical High, said he and his colleagues were committed to learning a lot from the competition, in order to influence other students and their communities.
