The Government has signed a US$600,000 technical corporation agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to improve teaching and student outcomes at the early childhood and secondary levels.

The agreement, which was inked by the Finance Ministry with the IDB, through the Japanese Government Special Fund, includes an inkind contribution valued at US$100,000 from the Jamaican Government.

The grant will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to fund the implementation of the Education System Transformation Plan, supporting the Government’s efforts to improve the performance of the sector in three key areas.

This includes assistance to early childhood education initiatives centred on innovation in teaching, the development of curriculum and materials, and improved management of the education sector. A second component will provide support to 10 teacher-training institutions to strengthen internal quality assurance and capacity building for teacher education, with a specific focus on numeracy and science.

The third component of the programme will fund technical support for strengthening the provision of alternative pathways at the secondary education level. Funding from this grant will assist the education ministry in consolidating and improving coordination across the sector to benefit students.