KINGSTON, Jamaica — Charlie Smith High School in Trench Town, Southern St Andrew, will receive the largest budget for Corporate Area high school from the new figures produced by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information in the House of Representatives, yesterday.

According to a Ministry Paper tabled in the House of Representatives, Charlie Smith High, a non-traditional high school named after a campaigner for a former Member of Parliament for the area, Anthony Spaulding, in the 1970s, will receive $81 million, including $50 million for the physical expansion, as well as $10 million for its Career Development Programme (CAP) which covers teachers, materials, students welfare and maintenance and operations related to the sixth form project.

The next highest figure of $70 million for a Corporate Area school goes to Norman Manley High, named after the late National Hero and former premier, and $63 million for Pembroke Hall High. Both schools are non-traditional.

Jamaica College, which was headed by current minister of education, Ruel Reid, up to recently gets $47.3 million, including $12 million for staff support, just ahead of Kingston College, which gets $44.2 million

However, the highest sum granted is $120 million to Old Harbour High, next is $111.6 million to Maggotty High in St Elizabeth, which includes $76 million for infrastructure improvements and $4.3 million for CAP.

According to the Ministry Paper a total of $5,337,419,400.44 will be disbursed to the schools. The ministry paper noted that the figure was outside the regular subvention for the payment of full time teaching and non-teaching staff.

Balford Henry