The Education Ministry has successfully made a case for increased funds to the tune of $455,106,000. This would boost the $7.512 billion granted in the 2024 budget.
At Monday’s Standing Finance Committee, Education Minister Michael Dowlath explained the need for the requested resources.
“The allocations being sought today are directly linked to critical shortfalls inherited as a result of long-standing vacancies, unaddressed financial obligations, and operational deficits which accumulated over years of neglect. $296,106,000 under recurrent expenditure for the Ministry of Education will allow this government to stabilise staffing through salary payments and retroactive adjustments for educators, sustained vital support programs for 20,000 vulnerable students through book grants.”
The allocation will also settle long-standing arrears to university academics and administrative staff and meet contractual obligations for essential services such as janitorial services.
Asked about the formula to be used to assign the school supplies and book grants amounting to $20 million, Minister of Finance Dave Tancoo explained why no allocation had been noted.
“For clarification, what is being adopted now is the same mechanism of a Means Test that was introduced when this item was first introduced in fiscal 2024 by then Minister of Finance. The reason there’s no allocation in 2025 is that although the Minister of Finance announced it in 2025 again, not a cent was put forward for it. So now it falls on to this government to ensure that citizens are provided, children, are provided with this book grant.”
The requested supplementary funding was later passed by simple majority.