CXC SBA reforms, school grants and JPS licence talks lead Friday news

Senior education stakeholders in Jamaica met Friday with Caribbean Examinations Council officials over proposed school-based assessment reforms that have raised local concern. The plan would replace traditional SBAs in non-practical subjects such as mathematics, English and Caribbean History with a supervised Paper 032, sat under exam conditions after students receive the topic about a month ahead. Practical and creative subjects including agricultural science, visual arts and music would keep conventional SBAs. CXC says moderation will be strengthened. CAPE candidates are due to face the new system in 2027, while CSEC students may choose the existing SBA or Paper 032 that year before the format becomes mandatory in 2028.

Public schools will receive an extra $757.5 million for the 2026/2027 academic year under a new operational grant framework outlined by Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon at Wednesday's post-Cabinet briefing. Allocations are set at 25 per cent for administration, 20 per cent for repairs and maintenance, 30 per cent for teaching and learning, 15 per cent for STEAM and TVET, and 10 per cent for student welfare. Schools have already received the first tranche, with 30 per cent paid in June, 15 per cent due in September and 20 per cent in December. Average funding is expected to rise about 55 per cent, with primary and special education institutions seeing the largest increases. Annual grants will range from about $1 million to $4.8 million, and the minimum for infant and primary schools rises to $1 million.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz told the House of Representatives that Cabinet is being asked to approve a second phase of technical assistance, adding financial advisers as talks continue with Jamaica Public Service on a new electricity licence. The government notified JPS in July 2025 that it would not renew the licence on existing terms and may acquire the licensed business when it expires. Majority shareholders include East West and Marubeni of Korea and Japan. Vaz said other parties have expressed interest and that negotiations with JPS continue in parallel, linking the current licence to high regional power prices.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the $5.5-billion Spanish Town Hospital redevelopment should be finished by 2027 as a six-storey facility of more than 17,000 square metres, expanding beds from 470 to 600 and adding urology, oncology, ophthalmology and psychiatry services. He spoke at the launch of a family caregiver programme at the hospital.

Finance Minister Fayval Williams, billionaire Michael Lee-Chin and coffee farmers from Halls Delight, St Andrew, were among about 700 guests at the Small Business Association of Jamaica's Growth and Resilience Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. The Development Bank of Jamaica signed an MOU with the SBAJ on capital access, while the Jamaica Stock Exchange and Jamaica Business Development Corporation pledged further support. SBAJ president Garnet Reed said the event has outgrown the Pegasus and aims for 1,000 attendees next year.

The Ministry of Finance reported tax collections below target for April and May. Taxes on income and profits totalled $59 billion against a $77.8 billion budget, about 24 per cent short. Company taxes were $27 billion, 30.9 per cent below the $39.9 billion projected, and special consumption tax reached only $2.15 billion of $6.4 billion budgeted.

Vienna-based healthcare firm Vamed said it will pursue international arbitration against Guyana over unpaid costs on the Guyana Paediatric and Maternal Hospital and New Amsterdam Hospital campus projects, contracted at €149 million and €150 million. Attorney Nigel Hughes said overdue contractual claims total about €45.5 million, including certified payments of at least €19.15 million, after the last payment in May 2025 and the collapse of export-credit financing that expired in November 2025.

In sport, France and England meet for third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 18 after semifinal defeats, while Spain and Argentina contest the final. Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts backed FIFA's proposed move to 64 teams for the 2030 centenary tournament, saying, "Once the numbers increase, I'm going to support it because it gives us a greater chance."