JTA disputes CAPRI claim that Jamaica’s education budget is adequate

The Jamaica Teachers’ Association is challenging a Caribbean Policy Research Institute report which says Jamaica’s school system is receiving adequate funding. JTA President Mark Malabour said the conclusion gives a distorted picture of what is happening in classrooms.

Malabour said Jamaica may spend about five per cent of gross domestic product on education, but that measure does not show how much money is available for each student. He argued that, on a per-child basis, Jamaica remains well behind countries with stronger education results.

He pointed to Finland and Singapore, saying those systems can spend as much as three times more per student than Jamaica. That larger investment, he said, helps to support stronger resources, better school infrastructure and improved student outcomes.

The JTA president also linked the funding gap to basic classroom needs. He said some schools have only one smart board, while every classroom should be equipped with one.

CAPRI’s report, titled Room for Improvement, acknowledges that Jamaica spends a relatively high share of national output on education. However, it also warns that student learning remains weak and that productivity is lagging, with Jamaica ranking among the weakest performers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For teachers, Malabour said, the issue is not simply how education spending looks in national accounts, but whether schools receive enough support to meet students’ day-to-day needs.