Govt Spends $1 billion on Textbooks for Primary and Secondary Students

Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine Henry Wilson, has said that the Government has spent almost $1 billion on the provision of textbooks for primary, secondary and technical high school students for the new school year.
Mrs. Henry Wilson, who made this disclosure on (August 30), during a back to school broadcast to the nation, said that the orders for textbooks were done on a timely basis this year.
“Our status report indicate that some 700,000 integrated workbooks and textbooks valued at approximately $300 million have been ordered for students in grades 1 and 6 in all primary, all-age and junior high schools,” she informed.
The Education Minister noted that the textbooks provided by the Ministry are those that are best aligned with the revised primary curriculum and will therefore best facilitate effective teaching and learning.
In the meantime, she appealed to parents to make every effort to ensure that students are adequately equipped with the necessary school supplies to go back to school. “Use the resources you may have to buy books, the geometry sets, the calculators, rather than the brand-name bags and shoes and the latest hairdos. It is the former (not the latter) that will be lasting benefit to our children,” she pointed out. Mrs. Henry Wilson also reminded parents and guardians that students on the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) will receive lunches free of charge.
She said that the government is committed to enhancing the quality of the food that is being provided under the School Feeding Programme.
“Many schools have a breakfast programme. We know that unfortunately, for many children, the school lunch is their only meal for the day, and we are committed to enhancing both the quantity and the quality of the meals provided,” the Education Minister noted.