UNICEF Jamaica, together with the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), yesterday presented the study, “Room for Improvement”, the most thorough examination of child‑focused public expenditure in Jamaica in two decades.

The report shows that Jamaica allocates to children a share of its national budget comparable to that of high‑income countries, and that investment has grown steadily in recent years, particularly in education and social protection. At the same time, it finds that it is not always possible to trace each dollar to individual children, because a large part of expenditure is recorded under aggregate budget lines – such as compensation and general operating costs – and current systems do not systematically require disaggregated reporting by age or beneficiary group.

“This study starts from an important premise: Jamaica has made a sustained effort to invest in its children,” said Olga Isaza, UNICEF Representative in Jamaica, “but the information system does not always make it clear how much of that investment in actually reaching each child, in which communities and with what results.”

Better Data for More Effective Decision-Making

The analysis, prepared by CAPRI using official data from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for nine fiscal years (2017/18–2025/26), applies UNICEF’s Child‑focused Public Expenditure Measurement (C‑PEM) framework across eight sectors: education, health, social protection, child protection, nutrition, public safety and security, housing and infrastructure, and recreation, culture and sport.

Among its findings, the study highlights that Jamaica has consistently protected spending on education and has used programmes such as the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) to cushion the impact of child poverty, including during the COVID‑19 pandemic. However, the available information does not always allow decision‑makers to see clearly how much of this effort is translated into direct services for children, or whether it reaches first those who are most in need.

“The evidence tells a very clear story: Jamaica’s financial commitment to children is significant and, by international standards, competitive, but the results on the ground are not keeping pace,” explained Dr. Diana Thorburn, Director of Research at CAPRI. “Our analysis asks why this is happening and points to one key factor: decision-makers do not always have precise information on how much of that spending reaches each child and which investments are actually working.”

Launch invitation

The launch of “Room for Improvement” took place at the Wolmer’s Boys’ School Auditorium in Kingston. Dr Diana Thorburn presented the main findings and joined a panel discussion with André Miller, Social Policy Officer at UNICEF Jamaica. Also in attendance was Dr Stephen Kerr, Director of Policy Analysis and Research at the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

 “This report offers a common starting point for government, civil society, the private sector and development partners to work together towards a shared objective: ensuring that every dollar allocated to children translates into better opportunities for every child,” Ms Isaza concluded.