Labour and Social Security Ministry Begins Town Hall Meetings in Process to Overhaul Path

The Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, has embarked on a comprehensive overhaul of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), to enhance support for vulnerable individuals and families.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., provided details at the first in a series of public PATH town hall meetings, at the Wesley Methodist Church Hall in Brown’s Town, St. Ann, on Wednesday, January 31.

He highlighted the Government’s commitment to ensuring the programme remains “responsive, effective, and progressive” in addressing the evolving needs of the vulnerable population in Jamaica.

As of August 2023, PATH had 285,000 beneficiaries, with 65 per cent being children, 27 per cent being the elderly, and the remainder being persons with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and indigent adults, and others.

Despite the challenges faced by the 22-year-old programme, Mr. Charles Jr. acknowledged the initiative’s commendable strides in reducing poverty rates, improving access to education and healthcare, but stressed the need for continuous assessment and improvement.

“The overhaul of PATH will be conducted in three phases. Firstly, we’re going to do a series of key stakeholder engagements, such as town halls, smaller meetings, question-and-answer sessions and more. All different methods will be utilised, where subsequently, we will have formation of two technical working groups,” Mr. Charles Jr. outlined.

He explained that the first group is to review and provide recommendations regarding the technical design of PATH, including selection criteria and benefit levels.

The second group will scrutinise and provide strategic guidance on the reassessment of the rules of the programme, including conditionalities for eligibility.

“This means the child having to go to school, the mother having to go to the clinic, those things that you have to do now for you to continue to be eligible,” the Minister said.

The final phase will see the establishment of a steering committee, chaired by the Minister.

This committee will serve as an advisory body, informed by the recommendations of the technical working groups, and will provide progress reports to Cabinet throughout the reform process.

“With PATH now, we see where you (beneficiaries) receive bimonthly cash grants, which are conditioned on school attendance and on healthcare visits. However, there is a need for us to look on the technology that is utilised, as 65 per cent of our beneficiary families receive payment by cheque and we need to start utilising more efficient transactions,” Mr. Charles Jr. argued.

He cited the issues faced by PATH throughout the decades, particularly the selection process, modernising data collection and the verification processes using technology and data analytics.

He indicated that improved monitoring and evaluation, along with enhanced data collection, will be central to the overhaul, ensuring the programme’s effectiveness and the well-being of beneficiaries.

Another important aspect of the transformation is the commitment to ensure PATH’s sustainability and effectiveness, Mr. Charles Jr. said, adding that this will ensure that beneficiaries continue to be equipped with the tools needed for economic independence and social mobility.

In the meantime, the Ministry is also exploring partnerships with the private sector and civil society organisations to enhance the impact of the programme, offering beneficiaries access to more job and training opportunities.

Minister Charles Jr. emphasised the comprehensive impact of PATH, noting that the transformation underscores the Government’s commitment to elevating the standard of living for all Jamaicans.