CPFSA Gets $350 Million More for 2024/25 Fiscal Year

The Government has increased its allocation to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) for the 2024/25 fiscal year.

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure during Thursday’s (March 7) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members are reviewing the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure.

Mrs. Williams said the CPFSA’s allocation has been increased by almost eight per cent, moving from $4.41 billion to $4.76 billion.

Meanwhile, she advised that special education accounts for almost $3 billion of the Ministry’s budget and includes allocations for assessment, utilities, rental, boarding, grants, school supervision and compensation.

“We have 10 segregated schools, which include primary and secondary, with roughly 2,500 special needs children. There are also students with mild disabilities that are in regular schools. We work with 17 private schools and entities and provide them with grants as well,” the Minister noted.

The Ministry’s budget for the 2024/25 fiscal year is $162.3 billion, of which $160.3 billion is recurrent, while the capital budget is approximately $2 billion.

Early childhood, which covers infants to grade three, accounts for 20.3 per cent of the budget or $32.9 billion, while $27.1 billion has been allocated for upper primary schools, that is grades four to six.

“Secondary education accounts for $58.1 billion or almost 36 per cent of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. Tertiary is at 17 per cent or $27.2 billion,” Minister Williams stated.