The Government of Jamaica has approved a budget of J$4.6 billion to achieve full transformation and modernisation of the education sector.

Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams shared the news at a press briefing on Wednesday, where she gave an update on the state of the educational sector.

“The Jamaica Education Transformation Commission or the Orlando Patterson-led report, calls on us to significantly increase government’s expenditure on school maintenance and capital projects and to ensure access to quality broadband for education for all schools,” the minister noted.

The funds are allocated to strengthen school governance arrangements, infrastructure development for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the visual and performing arts at the secondary level.

Additionally, the funds will provide for infrastructural development to support information and communications technology (ICT) and improve the quality of early childhood and tertiary education.