Budget of $288 Million to Enhance Basic Education

The Government is to continue its programme of providing education at the earliest age possible, with a budgetary allocation of $288 million for the Enhancement of Basic Schools project, as outlined in the 2010/11 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House.
With funding support from the Caribbean Development Bank, the project aims at enabling young children to learn and develop optimally.
The Enhancement of Basic Schools project was implemented in April 2002 and is set to be completed in December 2011.
Among the targets set are the completion of construction of basic schools and resource centres islandwide, including the Nain Basic School and St. Elizabeth Teacher Resource Centre; Highgate Basic School and St. Mary Teacher Resource Centre; Arthur Wint Basic School and Hanover Teacher Resource Centre; and Foga Road Basic School and Clarendon Teacher Resource Centre.
Additional targets are to commence construction of the St. Francis Practising School and the Torrington Basic School and Westmoreland Teacher Resource Centre.
Also, the Nain, Foga Road, Arthur Wint and Highgate Basic Schools are to be furnished and equipped.
Up to February this year, construction and renovation activities had been completed in Hope Village, Yallahs, Stephen James and DRB Grant Basic Schools and Teacher Resource Centres in Manchester, St. Thomas, St. James, Trelawny and St. Catherine.
Shortwood Practising and Fern Grove Basic Schools and St. Ann Resource Centre have been practially completed, while 40 per cent of the works are in progress at the Nain Basic and St. Elizabeth Resource Centre. Additionally, contractors have been mobilised for the Highgate and St. Mary Teacher Resource Centre.
Other achievements included the establishment of a Project Implementation Unit; baseline data collected and analysed; the completion of islandwide sensitisation workshops on the new learning environment; the completion of NCTVET Level Two training of 680 Early Childhood Practitioners; and the completion of NCTVET Assessors’ Training for 80 Education Officers.