Mark Golding on Tuesday explained that education is at the centre of the Opposition’s ‘Four Es’ strategy to drive inclusive and sustainable growth, and outlined a number of measures the People’s National Party (PNP) intends to take to achieve its goal if it forms the next Government.

Pointing to the Four-Es strategy — Efficiency, Education, Energy and Emerging Industries — outlined by Opposition spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson in his budget presentation last week, Golding told the House, “As leader of an Opposition that is preparing to assume Government, it falls to me to set the tone of our upcoming leadership.”

He said that while there are several institutions of excellence in the country, more than 30 per cent of children entering secondary school from primary school are unable to read and write or do basic arithmetic.

“This flows through into secondary school performance, where less than 20 per cent of students leave with the minimum acceptable outcome of five subjects including English and maths,” Golding said in his contribution to the 2025/26 Budget Debate.

“The next PNP Government will prioritise raising standards at the early childhood and primary levels by addressing the needs of children from birth onwards. This will mean making investments with the goal that our children entering secondary school are indeed able to read, write, do basic arithmetic and think critically,” he said.

“These investments are required in teacher training and compensation, infrastructure and technology, and in support services for parenting,” he explained.

Stating that absenteeism is a big problem, Golding said a Government led by him will encourage school attendance by expanding and improving the school feeding programme to ensure adequate and proper nutrition.

He pointed to the Opposition’s Ensuring Adequate Sustenance for Education (EASE) programme highlighted by Robinson last week and said his team is committed to providing a daily lunch at primary and secondary school for all children who need it and will extend it to a daily breakfast.

“This will help to ease the financial burden on parents and guardians,” he said, adding that a PNP Government will champion change by cushioning the cost of living crisis for the most vulnerable in the society.

He said another element of the EASE programme involves “rolling out a transportation subsidy for students in areas not served by the Jamaica Urban Transit Company “which has provided subsidised fares for children and the elderly since it commenced operation under a PNP Administration”.

Additionally, he said the Opposition’s Rural Initiative for Delivering Education (RIDE) programme will assist rural students across the island with their weekly transportation costs,

“The existing arrangements under PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) in relation to transportation target only 7,500 students. Our aim is to expand it to 50,000 students over the next three years. We will deliver this programme by leveraging technology, ensuring accountability and transparency. We will start modestly and scale it up,” he said.

Golding also said that Jamaica needs to reverse the high rates of attrition among teachers and promised that a future PNP Government will:

• ensure that teachers receive student debt reductions and motor vehicle concessions at levels that increase with their years of service in the profession;

• ensure that teachers benefit from enhanced access to National Housing Trust (NHT) loans, and are given priority in housing allocations in NHT-financed schemes;

• remove all taxes on laptops and tablets for students and teachers; and

• negotiate package deals to provide teachers with free Internet service as a tool of their trade.