Gov’t to close 18 primary schools
MINISTER of Education Ronald Thwaites says that his ministry will save some $23 million from the closure 18 underpopulated primary level schools in September.
He said that the schools are among a total of 200 public schools offering primary level education (primary, all-age and junior high), which are underutilised, with enrolment of 100 students or less.
“In most cases enrolment has declined steadily during the five-year period (2010-2014). In some communities where the schools are located the population has been declining, with a small number of youth and many older persons as residents,” Thwaites explained.
He said that, while the average per capita expenditure at primary level schools amounts to approximately $88,000, in many of these schools it is costing twice as much to operate them.
He also stated that nearly all 18 have performed below or at about the national average in the 2014 Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), and most have performed significantly below the national average of 77.2 per cent in the Grade Four Literacy Test.
He said that the process of closing these schools involved extensive public consultations with stakeholders — including parents, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, churches, community leaders, and political representatives.
“The team from the Ministry of Education has been very responsive to concerns raised. However, in the final analysis, we have to make a decision in the interest of student achievement and the efficient use of financial resources,” Thwaites said.
He said that the Ministry of Education has assured parents that where the relocation of students has resulted in transportation needs, the ministry will contract transport operators to ensure the children can get to school and back home.
The Government expects to save $23 million from the closures.
The Ministry of Education will decide on the options available regarding the closed facility in keeping with government regulations.
The 18 schools are:
Bowden Hill Primary and Mount James All Age in West Rural St Andrew; Tower Hill and Clifton Primary in St Andrew East Rural; Black Hill All-Age and Belvedere Primary, Western Portland; Preston Hill and Rose Bank Primary, Central St Mary, and Pear Tree River Primary, Eastern St Thomas; Alps Primary and Infant, Southern Trelawny; Brittonvale, Clydesdale, Jefferyville and Watsonville Primary Schools, South Eastern St Ann; Hillsbrook, Hanover Eastern; Auchtembeddie Primary and Junior High, Manchester North Western, and Hopeton Primary, St Elizabeth South Eastern; and Hartlands Primary, St Catherine Central.
Thwaites said that, in order to ensure a smooth transition, the ministry’s regional staff will work closely with the staff of the receiving schools.