With a few days remaining before the start of a new academic school year, Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams says textbook distribution will continue for primary and secondary institutions up to the end of August.

The education minister, who was providing an update on back-to-school projects ahead of the new school year at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, August 30, said that J$2 billion has been allocated this fiscal year for the purchase of textbooks.

“At the primary school level, as well as at the secondary school level, the suppliers are busy putting the books out there in the system to our schools and we are expecting that the bulk of the books, that’s the hardcover textbooks will be delivered by the end of August,” she said.

Williams also noted that 3,800 pieces of furniture have been distributed to schools across the island.

“Three thousand eight hundred pieces of furniture have been dispatched into our school system. This is a continuous process, we have schools about 15 of them that make new desks and chairs for our schools, some of them also repair existing desks and chairs the work is year-round it continues,” she said.

Similarly, the minister said that ramp construction projects to facilitate persons with disabilities will be an ongoing project throughout the year.

“Ramp construction projects, during the month of August we have received a list from our principals and 32 schools have indicated that they will have students with special needs and will require the construction of new ramps in about 24 of them and additional ramps in eight schools,” Willaims said.

“So the procurement work has started and you know already many of our schools have ramps and rails and this is an ongoing project year-round to continue to install ramps and rails in all of our schools so that it doesn’t matter which schools, person with disabilities it will already be there,” she added.

The education minister further noted that $317 million was allocated to electrical upgrading projects and fencing projects. Of that figure, $244 million was allocated to carry out electrical upgrades in 47 schools while $73 million was allocated for fencing in 56 schools.