The Government will be spending $1.4 billion in its continued thrust to end the shift system and reduce overcrowding in schools, by constructing additional classrooms and other amenities during the upcoming fiscal year.
A portion of the sum will be used to upgrade electrical infrastructure and provide security fencing for selected primary and secondary schools.
The Primary and Secondary Infrastructure Programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and the National Education Trust, with funding from the Government.
Among the projects listed in the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, are the commencement of construction activities at 11 schools.
The schools are Dias Infant, Boundbrook and Oracabessa Primary, Aberdeen High, Denham Town, Nain, New Forest, Port Antonio, Stony Hill, Newell Town and classrooms at Papine High.
The Government intends to complete civil works at Westwood High in Trelawny.
Electrical upgrading works are expected to commence and conclude at McGrath, Holmwood, Marcus Garvey and Maggotty High Schools.
Meanwhile, the Government is aiming to complete construction of security fencing at Naggo Head, Retirement, Prospect and Brixton Hill Primary Schools.
In the upcoming fiscal year, fencing work is also expected to commence and conclude at three schools – May Pen Infant, Adelphi and Parry Town Primary.
Up to December 2025, electrical upgrade works were completed at 13 schools – Priory Primary and Infant, Little London and Savanna-La-Mar Primary Schools, Alston, Kemps Hill, Tarrant, Charlie Smith, Denbigh, Waterford, Greater Portmore, Alston, Garvey Maceo High Schools and St. Mary Technical High School.
Progress of construction activities are as follows: Cedric Titus, 90 per cent; Albert Town, 70 per cent; and Westwood High, five per cent.
Expansion and or renovation works were completed at nine schools: Exchange All-Age, Norman Manley High, Papine High, Kingston College, Black River, Edwin Allen, Jonathan Grant, Bridgeport and Holmwood Technical High.
Wastewater systems have also been commissioned at Black River and Papine High Schools, while a chairlift was installed at the Sydney Pagon STEM Academy.
Additionally, security fencing works were completed at Bridgeport, Eccleston, Golden Spring Primary, Papine High and Cedric Titus High schools, while the progress of fencing works at
Retirement, Prospect and Brixton Hill Primary Schools are 90, 60 and 20 per cent, respectively.
The project, which initially ran from April 2020 to March 2023, has been extended to March 2025 and further to March 2028.
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, tabled the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure in the House of Representatives on February 12.
