MP wants school leaders to assist the poor in accessing PATH
Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth – Member of Parliament for South East St Elizabeth, Richard Parchment has called on school principals and teachers to assist in getting “needy” children on the welfare programme, PATH.
The Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) introduced in 2002 and funded by the Jamaican government in partnership with the World Bank delivers benefits to the most needy and vulnerable.
Hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans are on the programme but a longstanding criticism is that many who should qualify for benefits are not included.
Addressing the annual South East St Elizabeth Scholarship Awards Ceremony at Munro College in Potsdam, Malvern recently, Parchment said principals and teachers had an integral part to play and should commit themselves to “work” with him.
“You are there and you know the financial situation of the parents much more than I do and I want to ensure that every deserving student in SE St Elizabeth is on the PATH programme,” said Parchment.
All too often, the MP said, he would receive information from schools on economically vulnerable students only to discover that the children and their families are not registered on PATH.
“I can’t take that principals, I want us to be partners, whenever you see in schools, needy kids, take it (information) to me, my office or the ministry of labour and social security (Santa Cruz) …,” Parchment said.
Sixty four students from SE St Elizabeth who are about to enter high school, received cash benefits for high achievement in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT). There were also special awards for previous GSAT award winners who have maintained averages of over 90 per cent in high school.
The awards programme which cost $7 million was funded by the MP’s constituency development fund contribution of $4 million and $3 million from “private partners” and fundraising initiatives.
Parchment paid special tribute to Mayfield All Age in Southfield which had eight GSAT prize winners with averages of over 90 per cent at the ceremony.
St Alban’s Primary in Stanmore also gained special recognition from Parchment for dramatic improvement over the last year. Just over a year ago, Parchment said, the school was in danger of closure because of low attendance. However, he said, new and inspired leadership had led to a doubling of attendance.
