$4.3 Billion for Social Protection Project II

The Government has allocated $4.3 billion towards the improvement of the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) through the Social Protection Project II.

The funds have been made available in the 2016/17 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

The initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through funding provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The project, which commenced in April 2014 and is slated to be completed in March 2018, aims to further improve the effectiveness of the PATH programme by the provision of benefits designed to motivate educational attainment and retention in secondary schools.

It also seeks to develop a structured system, to assist working age members of PATH households to seek and retain meaningful employment while enabling a comprehensive analysis/review of the public sector pensions, improving systems administration and building capacity for public sector pension reform; and provide operational support for the implementation of the social protection strategy.

For the 2016/17 period, payments to 320,000 registered PATH beneficiaries will be paid out every two months; and transportation allowance will be provided for PATH students who have been non-compliant because of transportation cost; as well as the provision of tertiary and post secondary bursaries.

Other activities for the period will see the delivery of a package of labour activation services to support the graduation strategy and enhance skills training and the engagement of private and educational vocational institutions to deliver training to beneficiaries.

Another key set of activities will be the development of the Steps-to-Work Management Information System; implementing a process for the use of the pensions earnings contribution database and sensitizing PATH families about the graduation policy; and making operational the Management Information System (MIS).

Up to December 2015 the programme achieved several targets including the registration and payment of beneficiaries to approximately 380,000 beneficiaries; disbursement of grants including Post Secondary Transition Grants, Tertiary Bursaries and Transportation Allowance grants.

Furthermore, a consultant firm was engaged to develop the Earnings Contribution Database; while two consultants were hired to implement the Reengineered Process for the Pension Administration Unit.

The Pensions (Public Service) Bill to incorporate public sector pension reform was also tabled in November.