Social Security Minister Says PATH Must Change with the Times
By: , March 29, 2024
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., delivers his opening remarks during the third ‘On the PATH to Transformation’ town hall meeting in Portmore, St. Catherine, on March 27.
Photo: Dave Reid
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Colette Roberts Risden, addresses the third ‘On the PATH to Transformation’ town hall meeting, which was held in Portmore on March 27.
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (right), speaks with beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) who gave testimonials during the third ‘On the PATH to Transformation’ townhall meeting in Portmore, on March 27. They are (from left) Dr. Makeda Bailey; Lateisha Bailey and Zachary Campbell.The Full Story
Times are changing and the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) must change with it, says Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.
Speaking at the third ‘On the PATH to Transformation’ town hall meeting, which was held in Portmore on Wednesday (March 27), the Minister emphasised that the Jamaica of 2002, when the programme began, is not the same today.
“At that time, I don’t think we had the same kind of situation in Jamaica. Certainly, if you asked, at that time, who had a cellphone and what cellphone, it might not have been everybody who had a cellphone. But right now, everybody has a phone at some point. Circumstances in your home were different. Things that are normal now were not normal then, so what it means is we have to change with the times,” the Minister said.
He underscored that the current overhaul of PATH, which is being undertaken by the Ministry, seeks to address and review issues such as this.
“We want to make sure that the revision of the programme doesn’t leave anybody with any confusion, that if you have a stove it means you can’t get on PATH, because in 2024, everybody must have a stove and a fridge and all these things… these are basic amenities,” Mr. Charles Jr. added.
For her part, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Colette Roberts Risden, provided details on the system that selects beneficiaries for PATH and pointed out that it is driven by a certain algorithm.
She explained, however, that persons who believe they qualify for the programme but were unsuccessful in their application, can utilise the appeal process within their parish.
“There are going to be some persons who are genuinely in need who the system may say ‘you don’t qualify’, and that is why we have the appeal process in the parish,” Mrs. Roberts Risden said.
By this, a social worker in the parish will do “a little more in-depth questioning” and a qualitative assessment, she explained.
Since its inception, PATH has impacted some 350,000 beneficiaries from almost 130,000 families across Jamaica.