News from the budget
$55m for poverty reduction programmes
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The Government will be spending over $55 million this fiscal year from two European Union-funded programmes aimed at reducing poverty.
The Poverty Reduction Programme II (Capacity Building and Training for Communities) has $51 million to alleviate poverty through sustainable growth, with emphasis on the promotion of community safety and the reduction of criminal behaviour in volatile and vulnerable communities.
The programme has been extended to December 2011 during which time 30 parenting groups and 30 youth groups will be strengthened. It is also expected that 200 youths and parents will be provided with skills training.
The Poverty Reduction Programme II (Start Up programme), which has $4.2 million, is expected to develop work plans for youth and parent groups; advertise for consultancy to develop governance framework for community-based organisations (CBOs); and advertise for consultancy to develop a monitoring and evaluation mechanism.
The needs of youths and parents are also to be identified in three communities, and 30 workshops conducted. The Start Up Programme is slated for completion in October this year.
Meanwhile, the Community Crime Prevention Programme, which focuses on the renovation and refurbishing of community centres in Kingston, has been provided with $14 million to further its objective of preventing and reducing crime and violence.
The programme is being
funded by Belgium and will end March 2010.
$18m for violence prevention this year
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The capacity of the Government and targeted communities to attain a more peaceful, secure and just society will be enhanced with an allocation of $18 million in the 2009/10 Estimates of Expenditure, for the Jamaica Violence Prevention and Sustainable Development Programme.
This project, which commenced in January last year, has to date been successful in setting up the Ministry of National Security’s policy directorate, including crime prevention and community safety, and a gang symposium.
For this year, the project aims to enhance the design of violence prevention strategies and policies. This is in addition to enhancing the community safety, restorative justice and small arms strategies. Capacity building of the National Security Ministry, the Ministry of Justice, the National Security Strategy Implementing Unit and the National Firearm Licensing Authority, will also be a priority
this year. The project will support the development of community safety plans; increase the effectiveness and coherence of international support; and enhance safety in targeted communities.
Funded by the United Nations Development Programme, the project is slated for completion in December 2010.
The 2009/10 Estimates also make provisions for the Jamaica Violence Prevention, Peace and Sustainable Development – Jamaica Constabu-lary Reform Programme – with an allotment of $16 million. This project sets out to implement the recommendations of the strategic review of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
It is anticipated that for this fiscal year, the project will transform the culture of the JCF; develop and launch the brand and image of the JCF; and establish a new and effective accountability system, which will ensure zero tolerance towards corruption.
The project is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and is scheduled for completion in March 2010.
Gov’t to spend over $200m on basic schools
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – A project aimed at enabling young children to learn and develop optimally will receive $228.5 million in the 2009/10 Budget.
According to the Estimates of Expenditure for the new fiscal year, the Enhancement of Basic Schools project, supported by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), was initially slated to run from 2002 to 2006, but that deadline has been revised twice, with the latest completion date set for December, 2009.
Anticipated targets for 2009/10 are: completion of the Shortwood Infant Department and construction of the Arthur Wint Basic, St Francis Practising, Nain Basic and the Foga Road Basic schools, as well as the Hanover, Clarendon and St Elizabeth resource centres.
There are also plans to furnish and equip the Fern Grove and Shortwood basic schools, and to complete New Learning Environment consultancies.
Some of the major achievements under the project so far are: the completion of islandwide sensitisation workshops on the New Learning Environment, NCTVET Level 2 training of 680 early childhood practitioners and NCTVET Assessors training for 80 Education Officers.
Construction activities are also at varying levels of completion at 2,700 early childhood institutions. In addition, registration and legal and regulatory framework consultancies are 80 per cent complete, while nine early childhood officers have completed fellowships granted under the project.
The entire project is expected to cost more than $755 million, of which the CDB will provide over $637.7 million and the Government of Jamaica the remainder.