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$6.7 Billion Allocated to PATH

By: , February 17, 2017

The Key Point:

The Government has set aside $6.7 billion for the continuation of projects under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) in the next fiscal year.

The Facts

  • The initiative, which falls under the Social Protection Project II, is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through funding provided by the Government and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
  • The objectives of the programme, which started in April 2014 include: to further improve the effectiveness of PATH by the provision of benefits designed to motivate educational attainment and retention in secondary schools; to develop a structured system to assist working age members of PATH households to seek and retain meaningful employment.

The Full Story

The Government has set aside $6.7 billion for the continuation of projects under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) in the next fiscal year.

The money has been made available in the 2017/18 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

The initiative, which falls under the Social Protection Project II, is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through funding provided by the Government and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

For the 2017/18 period, payments to registered PATH beneficiaries will continue to be paid out; parish office staff will continue to receive training to support the implementation of graduation activities; the hiring of 19 additional social workers to provide support to graduation activities will be completed; the development of the Steps-to-Work Management Information System will be completed; and post implementation support services for the Public Employee Pension Administration System application will be provided.

Achievements up to December 2016 include: the registration and payment of 370,000 beneficiaries; the disbursement of Post Secondary and Tertiary Bursary grants; the engagement of 31 social workers who processed 400 cases; the development of a Steps to Work (STW) Manual of Operating Policies and Procedures and a system a system software for Public Employees Pension Administration.

Other achievements include the establishment of a National Social Protection Coalition (NSPC) Secretariat which convened bimonthly meetings; the preparation of a revised Graduation Strategy for Cabinet approval; the dissemination of the Social Protection Strategy; and the retabling of The Pensions (Public Service) Bill.

The objectives of the programme, which started in April 2014 include: to further improve the effectiveness of PATH by the provision of benefits designed to motivate educational attainment and retention in secondary schools; to develop a structured system to assist working age members of PATH households to seek and retain meaningful employment.

It also aims to enable a comprehensive analysis/review of the public sector pensions; improve systems administration and build capacity for public sector pension reform; and provide operational support for implementation of the social protection strategy.

The project is slated to end in March 2018.

Last Updated: February 17, 2017

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