Boost for Primary Education Support Project
April 6, 2010The Full Story
A sum of $462.7 million has been earmarked for the Primary Education Support Project in the 2010/11 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives.
This project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, aims to contribute to the improved performance, efficiency and equity of the Primary Education System, through the effective implementation of the Revised Primary Curriculum and the national assessment standards in all primary schools. It also seeks to provide 5,175 additional primary school places by replacing five schools, extending five and constructing two new schools.
The allocation will be used to complete construction of the Fruitfulvale All-Age and Mansfield Primary Schools. It will also be used to commence construction of Hellshire and Red Hills Road Primary Schools.
Up to February 2010, a number of targets were met, including the completion of construction activities at Gordon Town, Guys Hill, Chester Castle, Mayfield and Bromley All-Age schools, and Christiana Leased and Lucea Primary schools; practical completion at the Sheffield All-age, while work is in progress at Fruitfulvale All-Age with 88 per cent complete, and 77 per cent complete at Mansfield Primary. Prequalification of contractors for the construction of Red Hills Road and Hellshire Primary Schools has commenced.
Approximately 8,600 teachers have been trained in the delivery of the Revised Primary Curriculum (RPC) from grades one to six, and another 856 teachers in continuous assessment; 89 teachers in classroom assessment; fellowships awarded to 54 Teachers’ College Lecturers; four long-term and 14 short-term fellowships awarded, which will focus on successful planning; 730 Principals trained under the Principals Diploma Programme; six persons in Psychometric Testing; and 170 senior managers and education officers completed the advanced training in Education Management.
In addition, 34,000 copies of supplementary readers and six assessment-training manuals to support the delivery of the Revised Primary Curriculum have been distributed to 800 schools; instructional materials for Literacy 1-2-3 programmes have been developed; 3,000 grades one to three teachers, 32 masters trainers and 120 literacy specialists to deliver literacy 1-2-3 programmes in 797 primary and independent schools have been trained; instructional technology programme has been introduced in 69 schools, and resource materials and computers distributed; the services of 90 consultants and 30 goods-contracts have been procured; the grade one Learning Profile has been revised and implemented; the delivery of the Literacy 1-2-3 materials to 800 schools has been completed; new standards for the RPC in social studies, mathematics, language arts, music, visual arts, religious education and physical education at grades one to three has been developed; and information technology rollout in an additional 60 schools has been completed.
The project, which is being funded by the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank, is slated to be completed by January 2011.