MINISTER of state in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Floyd Green says that this year the Government will be moving primary school education to a new level.

“This year, while continuing to support the secondary schools, through an increased allocation of $7.2 billion, we are also focusing on our primary schools and early childhood institutions,” Green told the House of Representatives in his contribution to the annual Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“On further review of financials of our primary schools, they only received an average of $800 per student to treat with the general running and upkeep of the school. This is a problem we intend to fix,” he said.

He told the House that, effective this year, primary schools will receive a regular grant of $2,500 per student, which is an increase of over 200 per cent.

He noted that this was in addition to the maintenance grant that has been increased from $30,000, to $50, 000, for this school year.

Green, a first time MP representing South Western St Elizabeth, admitted that there are still significant challenges across the school system.

“Of course there are always needs for additional resources. In fact, the education budget is only now recovering after significant cuts at the hand of the former minister of finance,” he said, noting that the budget was cut in 2013, by $3 billion dollars, with significant cuts to primary and secondary education.

“At that time our inflation was nine per cent…It is no wonder why the auxiliary fees became so prominent over the past four years, as the schools had to try to find creative means to survive,” he explained.

“Our mission now, having dealt significantly with access, is to accelerate the pace at which we treat with quality. We have some of the hardest working, most talented teachers in the world. We have studied our education system time and time again. We know what today’s world requires of our students; critical thinkers, capable of analysis and with strong interpersonal skills. We know the methodology to get there and we have set about the task in earnest,” he added.

He said that portfolio minister, Senator Ruel Reid, will deal with a number of substantive education matters, when he speaks in the State of Nation debate in the Senate later this year.

— Balford Henry