$845M Earmarked to Construct Additional Classrooms during 2024/25
By: , February 19, 2024
Photo: JIS File
Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams (third right), breaks ground along with other stakeholders for the expansion of the Bridgeport High School in Portmore, St. Catherine. Others (from left) are Bridgeport High’s Principal, Beverley Harris, and Board Chairman, Dane Levy; Member of Parliament, St. Catherine Southeast, Robert Miller; Mayor of Portmore, Councillor Leon Thomas, and Executive Director, National Education Trust (NET), Latoya Harris-Ghartey.The Full Story
The Government will be spending $845 million in its continued thrust to end the shift system and reduce overcrowding in schools, by constructing additional classrooms and other amenities during the upcoming fiscal year.
Among the projects listed in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure are the completion of architectural and civil/structural designs for Dias Infant School, and Papine and Newell High Schools.
Expansion works will commence at 11 schools – Dias Infant, Boundbrook Primary, and Port Antonio, Aberdeen, Belair, Denham Town, Nain, New Forest, Stony Hill, Westwood and Papine High Schools.
The Government also expects to complete works on a wastewater treatment system at Papine High School and chairlifts at Sydney Pagon High School.
Also scheduled for completion is the construction of classrooms at seven schools – Exchange Primary, and Bridgeport, Jonathan Grant, Holmwood Technical, Albert Town, Cedric Titus and Westwood High Schools.
The allocation will also cover the completion of electrical upgrading works at 11 schools – Little London and Savanna-la-Mar Primary Schools, and Alston, McGrath, Holmwood, Guys Hill, Spanish Town, Jonathan Grant, Glengoffe, Seaforth and Edwin Allen High Schools.
Meanwhile, security fencing works will be completed at Galina Primary and Infant, Eccleston, Naggo Head, Bridgeport, Parry Town, Retirement, Windsor Forrest, John’s Hall and Brixton Hill Primary Schools, and Kingston and Annotto Bay High Schools.
The project, which initially ran from April 2020 to March 2023, has been extended to March 2025 and further to March 2028.
The 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure was tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, on February 15.