Announcement of Nine Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Loan for Education in Jamaica on September 21, 1966

•· • \ 1818 H STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON D. C. 20433 TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 Bank Press Release No. 66/54 Subject: $9.5 million loan for educa- September 21, 1966 tion in Jamaica The World Bank has approved a loan equivalent to $9.5 million to Jamaica for the development of education. The loan will help to finance the construction of 50 junior secondary schools, and the expansion of four teacher training colleges, the Jamaica School of Agriculture, and the College of Arts, Science and Technology. This will provide secondary education for those children who have completed primary grades but who now remain in primary schools for lack of secondary institutions, will expand training facilities to meet the increased demand for teachers in pri- • mary and secondary schools, and will expand post-secondary technical education to provide skilled manpower urgently needed to improve the efficiency of Jamaica•s agriculture and to meet the demands of its growing industries. The Citizens and Southern National Bank, Atlanta, will participate in the loan, without the World Bank's guarantee, to the extent of $50,000 representing part of the first maturity which falls due January 15, 1972. Primary education in Jamaica consists of five years of schooling. After com- pletion, about 10% of the pupils enter secondary schools of different types, while the majority attend three "senior classes" appended· to practically all primary schools. The 50 new junior secondary schools are part of a program.designed to provide three years of secondary education for a significant number of the children who are now kept an extra three years in primary school. The new schools will pro- • vide places for 33,000 students. This program will improve the quality of educa• tion received by students terminating their education at age 15 so that they may fully benefit from pre-employment and on-the-job training at the levels required  - 2 - by the rapidly adYaneing economy, and increase the number of qualified students for further education. The schools will function in the evenings as community centers with particular emphasis on extension classes to increase skills in such fields as plumbing, electricity, carpentry, metal working and building, thus making it possible • to upgrade the skills of the adult population, a badly felt need at this time. Jamaica is experiencing rapid economic growth due mainly to its development as a major tourist resort and as the world's leading producer of bauxite, and to the rise in industrial activity. Two-thirds ·of the population, however, still remain in rural areas and agriculture employs 40% of the labor force. A main objective of the Government's development program is to improve the efficiency of agriculture. The JamaicJ School of Agriculture is the main source of technical personnel for the Ministry of Agriculture and for the private sector. While the School has estab- lished a good reputation, its present capacity, program and f9Utput (40 to 50 graduat:m • a year) are inadequate to meet the demand for agricultural experts. The project being financed will tt>eble the capacity of the school -- from 170 to 500 places -- and permit an expanded and diversified program. Buildings and equipment will be added at four colleges -- Mico, St. Josephs., Moneague and Mandeville -- which train teachers for the primary and junior secondary schools. This expansion will provide 675 new student places, increasing enrollment by 50%, and the output of trained teachers from 365 at present to 1,000 a year. The course will be changed from three years to two ye~rs of regular instruction and one year of internship. The College of Arts, Science and Technology, founded in 1958, offers day and evening instruction in five main fields: mechanical and electrical engineering; science, including pharmacy; commerce and institutional management. The expansion now being undertaken will enable the college to increase enrollment from 343 to 735 full-time students and to more than double annual output of graduates to 245. The .• college will also revise its curricula to emphasize more practical instruction in industrial processes and organization. f - 3 - ~ The junior secondary schools to be built and equipped with the assistance of the Bank loan will be locate throughout the country at sites which will ensure efficient use of physical facilities, and eliminate the need for expensive boarding facilities by bringing secondary education to the local communities. The expansion of the post-secondary schools includes libraries, lecture and assembly halls, class- rooms and laboratories, essential student hostels and staff housing, furniture and teaching equipment. The Bank loan will finance part of the cost of services of foreign specialists to assist in the implementation of the project and the overseas training of Jamaican teachers and school administrators. A Project Coordinator has been appointed to administer the project as a whole and to coordinate bilateral sources of assistance. Local architectural firms have been selected to design and supervise construction of the post-secondary portions • of the project and a foreign firm will perform similar services for the junior secondary schools. Major contracts for construction and equipment will be awarded on the basis of international competitive bidding. Work is scheduled for comple- tion in about 3\ years. The total cost of the project is estimated at the equivalent of about $19.4 mil- lion. The Bank loan will finance about 50% of this amount. A total of $1.3 million is to be provided from bilateral sources for technical assistance. The remaining costs will be financed by the Government of Jamaica. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) assisted the Government of Jamaica in the development of the country's educational program and Unesco experts, under the Bank/Unesco cooperative program, assisted in the preparation of the project now being financed. The Bank loan will be for a term of 20 years and bear interest at the rate of . . 6% per annum. Amortization will begin in Janu~ry 1972.