Sum Allocated to Help Raise Level of Attendance in Primary Schools

A sum of $9.5 million has been assigned to the Absenteeism in Jamaica’s Primary School project, to continue to raise the level of attendance in primary schools, and to evaluate the National School Lunch Programme.
As set out in the 2007/08 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the project, which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Youth, will this year identify a consultancy firm and commence work with communities. It will also design a study of the School Lunch Programme; and conduct an audit of first year initiatives. The project began in September of last year and has so far identified 100 schools with the lowest attendance; and held 54 community meetings in order to identify the cause of poor attendance in these schools. The Government of Jamaica is footing $650,000 of the total project cost.
The Absenteeism in Jamaica’s Primary School project falls under the Ministry’s Primary Education programme, for which a total budget of $734.6 million has been allocated. Other projects under this programme are: the Improvement and Expansion of Primary Education Phase II; the New Horizons for Primary schools; the Primary Education Support Project; and the Expanding Education Horizons project.