ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be doubling the janitorial grant allocation to primary schools when the 2016/17 academic year commences in September.

Currently, each of the over 200 institutions receives between $30,000 and $40,000 per annum for cleaning and general maintenance. This is, however, deemed insufficient by school administrators.

 Portfolio Minister, Senator Ruel Reid, who made the announcement, said consequent in this acknowledgement, the ministry was revising the provision and would relay the new figure to the schools shortly.

“Many school administrators are having some challenging times dealing with maintenance and balancing the books in the primary schools. My team and I have been looking at the financial constraints and we are committed to doing all we can at this time to alleviate some of the problems,” he said.

He was addressing a recent parents’ consultation meeting at the St Elizabeth Technical High School, Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Senator Reid has underscored the importance of partnership in ensuring the effective management of schools. 

He noted that the key roles which administrators and parents must play, in collaboration with the Government.

“We are all responsible and should use the tools and resources we have at our disposal to make a positive impact,” the minister emphasized.

In this regard, Senator Reid said he was confident that as the Government continues to develop the educational sector, school administrators will continue to work with parents to do what was in the students’ best interest.