Jamaica Government Spending Billions Ahead Of New School Term

KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Jamaica government is providing J$2.7 billion (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.01 cents) in grants to public schools as part of efforts to heighten their readiness for the start of the new school terms which begins on September 2.

Education Minister Rev. Ronald Thwaites said also that the public education system is in an advanced state of readiness for the opening of the school year.

The back to school grants for the period September 2013 to December 2013 include tuition fees, totalling J$1.4 billion and Thwaites said “during this time of economic asperity and where public expenditure is governed by our conveyance with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), one of the imperatives of the education system is to be prudent.

“We have to avoid excess and waste and we have to do more with what we have. All of the advances and the improvements in the education system have to be done within the existing budget,” Thwaites said, adding that schools were also being supplied with furniture.

He said process should be completed by August 31.

“We have approved some schools to procure and repair furniture from their existing accounts. We know more is needed, but this is a significant increase on what we were able to provide last year,” he said.