EDUCATION THE FOCAL POINT

(Allocation of $20.153B, Omits HEART and special support for UWI and UWI Hospital, 29% of non-debt budget up from 26.3% on 00/01 Budget, Range of Projects)

The Ministry of Education and Culture has been allocated $20.153 Billion or 29% of the non-debt Budget to undertake Recurrent and Capital projects. (This compares with 26.3% in the 2000/01 Approved Budget and 23% in the Revised Budget). This allocation reflects Government’s policy to assign priority treatment to Education in the 2001/02 fiscal year.

A. RECURRENT

The 2001/02 Provision of $19.150 Billion for the Ministry of Education and Culture Recurrent reflects an increase of approximately 5.7% over the 2000/01 Revised Estimates or 10.2% over the 2000/01 Approved Estimates. In order to carry out its mandate effectively, a number of new activities will be incorporated under the following existing programmes:

Early Childhood Education - ( $883.4 Million) (an increase of $153.5 Million over Revised 2000/01)

The Government’s support of Early Childhood Education will be increased during this financial year, as under:

• Assignment of one (1) trained teacher each to two hundred selected basic schools.
• Increased subsidy to basic schools in order to equate them with infant schools. This excludes an additional provision of $50.0 Million to facilitate the maintenance of existing facilities under the Capital "A" Head of Estimates.

Training and certification of Basic School Teachers through the utilization of the National Council on Technical Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) Courses.

Primary Education - ($6.05 Billion) (basically same as 2000/01 Revised)

The allocation, which is approximately 31.6% of the Ministry’s recurrent budget, indicates the level of priority which the ministry continues to give to this programme. The provision is intended to facilitate on-going activities geared towards improved levels of quality education and the payment of salaries to 245 Basic School Teachers.

 

Secondary Education - ($5.6 Billion)

This allocation, which is 29% of the Ministry’s budget, includes $300.0 Million to provide assistance to needy students who are unable to pay school fees. Other activities earmarked for 2001/02 include:

• Three (3) new High Schools which will commence operation in September 2001, that is :

• Eltham
• Inswood
• Annotto Bay

• "Grant to Newly Upgraded High Schools for Programme Enhancement" ($200.0M) – a new activity to facilitate improvement to the status of these schools in order to bring them in line with the traditional high schools.

• "Standards and School Improvement" – a programme designed to improve the quality of education through the setting of bench-marks for teachers and students in relation to performance.

• "Programme of Alternative Student Support" (P.A.S.S.) - a programme to facilitate an intervention response as well as a preventative approach to the frequency of maladaptive behaviours in students by :

• providing alternatives to extended suspension or expulsion;
• identifying opportunities for professional treatment for those requiring specialized assessments.

• "Youth-At-Risk" – a pilot project, designed to assist more students (10-11 years) in rural areas to access Secondary Education.

 

Tertiary Education - ($2.8 Billion) ($100 Million additional to the 2000/01 Revised allocation)

This allocation includes:

• Establishment of the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica (C.C.C.J.) Secretariat which aims at the accreditation of programmes and the provision of professional development and curriculum for all Community Colleges.

Library Services - ($265.5 Million) (increase of $28.6 Million over Revised allocation)

• Re-organization of the library services.
• Purchases of text and reference books ($5.0 Million).

B. CAPITAL A (GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA FUNDED PROJECTS)

The 2001/02 Provision of $603 Million for the Ministry represents an increase of $103M or approximately 20.6% over the Revised Estimates. The following are the main projects to be implemented:

a. Early Childhood Education ($54.3 Million)

The Fiscal Year 2001/02 marks the commencement of a three year programme by the Government to improve the quality of education in Basic Schools. This will involve upgrading the physical structure of Basic Schools Island-wide with special emphasis on improving the learning environment, safety and sanitation. To facilitate these improvement, $48.8 Million has been allocated for maintenance of buildings and equipment.

b. Primary Education ($360 Million)

1. i. Primary Schools - $290 Million is provided in the Budget to maintain the 792 Schools as well as to purchase lands for the construction of Schools under the Primary Education Support Programme.
2. ii. All-Age Schools - $70.0 Million has been provided to:

• Procure furniture and equipment for classroom, laboratories and workshops.
• Continue improvements to the Schools that have been upgraded from Primary to Junior High

c. Secondary Education

Of the $124.912 Million allocated under this programme, approximately $108 Million (86%) will be used for the Secondary Schools Upgrading Programme. This as part of the Ministry’s mandate to improve the quality of Education in the newly upgraded high schools.

The Funds will be used to:

• Purchase furniture and equipment for laboratories, workshops and classrooms
• Improve the physical structure of laboratories and workshops
• Erect holding areas for schools that operate the shift system.

C. CAPITAL B (MULTILATERAL/BILATERAL PROGRAMMES)

The amount of $400 Million has been allocated to Ministry of Education and Culture’s Capital B Head to fund 7 projects under its Multilateral/Bilateral Programme. Included in this number is 1 new project, that is the Primary Education Support Project. The projects to be funded are:

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