Public schools get 55% ops funding rise as INDECOM presses police accountability

The government has announced a 55% rise in operational funding for Jamaica’s public schools, aimed at helping cover day-to-day running costs from resources and maintenance to the learning environment. Mona High School principal Kevin Jones said any increase is welcome but argued schools still lack a clear figure for the true cost of educating a secondary student, excluding teacher salaries.

Jones said per-student operational support had stood at about $17,000 and that a 55% lift would leave schools with roughly $25,500 to $26,000 — still far short of estimates he has heard ranging from $80,000 to $120,000 a year. He said ministry grants are typically exhausted by November or December, after which schools rely on canteens, tuck shops, bookshops and parent contributions through mid-year. Utilities are deducted from the allocation, and money must also cover repairs, welfare and teaching and learning, while security and sports receive no dedicated ministry support. Mona High, he said, pays three extra security staff beyond government watchmen, and sports programmes — coaches, gear, meals, camps and transport — run into the millions. He stressed no child would be barred from class for unpaid contributions, though enrichment activities, extra lessons and field trips may be scaled back.

Separately, the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) reported 57 rulings for charge between 2024 and 2025 involving 71 officers — 63 from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, seven from the Department of Correctional Services and one from the Jamaica Defence Force. Case types included 30 assaults, 14 fatal shootings, seven shooting injuries, two firearm discharges, two road deaths, one road collision and one breach of the INDECOM Act. In 2026 so far, INDECOM has recorded nine rulings for charge involving 11 officers. One case concerns the May 17 fatal shooting of Latoya Bulgin in Granville, St. James, for which a police constable has been charged.

Commissioner Hugh Faulkner and Deputy Commissioner Yanique Taylor-Wellington said INDECOM assesses whether force was lawful, necessary and proportionate. Faulkner cited 151 civilian deaths in planned police operations and renewed calls for body-worn cameras on those operations. Both stressed that the public may lawfully film officers in public spaces if they do not interfere, citing 2021 JCF force orders, and that seizing or deleting footage can trigger discipline or criminal charges. Faulkner declined detailed comment on Constable Patrick Walters’ guilty pleas linked to the fatal shooting of Djane Graham, noting the matter remains before the courts until September, and said a recent West Kingston incident involving a member of parliament would be investigated with the same standard applied to any citizen.

Reggae Sumfest is also set to return at Plantation Cove, with organisers highlighting a high-profile Gaza–Gully stage moment, gates from 3 p.m., no on-site ticket sales, and bans on firearms, drugs, sharp objects and outside food and drink. Cultural commentator Clyde McKenzie said the festival’s value extends beyond the gate to tourism, jobs and Jamaica’s global music brand.