NET Invested More Than $300m in Educational Programmes and Initiatives in 2023/24

The National Education Trust (NET) invested more than $300 million in various educational programmes and initiatives during fiscal year 2023/24.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s head office in Kingston on Tuesday (May 28), Executive Director, Latoya Harris Ghartey, underscored the organisation’s commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure and fostering partnerships within the sector.

Registered as a charitable organisation under the Ministry of Education and Youth, NET focuses on two primary areas of operation – infrastructure and donor/partnership management.

Mrs. Harris Ghartey pointed out that in terms of infrastructure management, NET currently implements the Ministry’s capital budget, ensuring efficient and effective execution of projects.

“Our goal at NET is to also simplify the donor experience while enhancing school environments to foster holistic, safe and nurturing spaces for students. Collaboration is key, as we work to involve all stakeholders in achieving our vision of educational transformation and preparing our children to thrive globally,” she said.

“There is a strategic plan underway to capitalise on the other aspect of our operations – donor and partnership management. This initiative aims to establish the National Education Endowment Fund, generating funding for transformative projects within the education sector,” Mrs. Harris

Ghartey added. Several initiatives are to be undertaken by NET this financial year.

These include implementation of an incentivisation programme for teachers, being done in collaboration with the private sector.

Meanwhile, Director of Donor and Partnership Management at NET, Keisha Johnson, emphasised the urgency of addressing the challenges within the sector, while explaining that the incentivisation programme aims to mitigate the attrition rate of teachers in Jamaica, ensuring a consistent quality of education for students.

“We need to really fill that void, because it is certainly having an impact on the quality of education that our children are experiencing. So this is something that is being developed through NET at this time,” she explained.

The Trust is also building out six Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Academies and a Performing Arts Institution at the secondary level, which forms part of efforts to ensure that the education sector is responsive and adaptive to evolving industry needs.

Conceptualised in 2008, NET continues to fulfill its mandate of creating a secure fiscal space for ongoing long-term capital investment and infrastructure development in the education sector.