Rhemii Ice may look cool but she is steaming hot when it comes to the importance of Reading and Writing. ‘Read and Write’ is one of the songs she will be promoting on the Fully Bright school tour, an initiative spearheaded by Dr. Garth McDonald aka Shaka Pow.

Some fifty schools are targeted in Jamaica this academic year. The Montegonian, born Nordia Noble, feels she has the keys to help make Jamaica Fully Literate.

Jamaica’s literacy rate stands at 1,859,198 persons or 88.67 percent of the adult population (aged 11 and over) are able to read and write. Accordingly, about 237,535 adults are illiterate.

The literacy rate for the Jamaican male population is 84.04 (861,472 persons). In 1962, the year of Jamaica’s independence, the literacy rate was 60 percent.

Rhemii Ice agrees with the government that priority should be given to education across the board. “We often talk about going to university as one of our biggest dreams, but we have to start from somewhere and that beginning is kindergarten. This is the root of a good education and the springboard which will take us through the smooth transition of primary, high, and tertiary level education.”

“My early education started with that zeal to read and write. I can remember the joy of being able to read short sentences and was happy when I could read an entire story.” She adds that “it is important that Jamaicans know who are the best representatives in the upcoming Local Government Elections. Being able to read would help us to understand politics. Some people do not even know their representatives and are ready to give them support.”

The elections will be held Monday, February 26, with representatives from 228 electoral divisions islandwide.

Rhemii Ice explains that the birth of her song titled ‘Read and Write’ was conceived many years ago, but she began writing the lyrics in 2023. “I began writing the chorus, then the verse even before I got the riddim. The song was produced by Top Money Records in MoBay.”

Rhemii Ice has released over a dozen songs; her favourites being ‘Read and Write’, ‘Nuh Frighten’, ‘Don’t Take Me Lite’ and ‘Go Getter’. She is working on her latest project which she hopes to make public soon.

(Photo contributed)