The establishment of a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) exemplary lab is in progress at Bustamante High School in Clarendon, at a cost of $15 million.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, made the disclosure at the official handover of computer labs at the Bustamante High School on Thursday, January 15.
“[Bustamante High] is one of the schools selected to get a TVET exemplary lab. We have invested $7.5 million already and we have another $7.5 million to complete the lab within this academic year,” she said.
Dr. Troupe explained that this is being pursued under the Ministry’s TVET expansion programme.
“We are also expanding technical and vocational education in our schools. We have a broader programme, which we call our TVET expansion programme. Bustamante High School has been selected to get a 21st century agriculture lab. They do the programme here but we want to bring them into 21st century skills in terms of how the smart room is connected, how they are going to use the technology in this room, in the field, how they are going to set up drones to do the watering, so they do not have to be physically there. That is the kind of thinking and exposure we are bringing to them,” she said.
The TVET expansion programme involves strategically investing in skills development by upgrading facilities, integrating modern technology, expanding course offerings in high schools and partnering with industry to create a workforce ready for 21st century jobs, ensuring relevance and promoting economic growth through practical industry-aligned training.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has made further commitments to fund the construction of security fencing around the school. The value of the project is $147 million.
“[This is to] ensure that the environment is safe and secure for the learners and the staff and also the property and equipment that we are investing in,” Dr. Troupe said.
The Permanent Secretary added that the Ministry is also assisting in funding the completion of two classrooms at the school.
“We are also going to be building out some classrooms. They have started work on two classrooms and the school is unable to continue resourcing that project. We have incorporated that in our 2026/27 budget space and our maintenance programme. The Ministry of Education’s region along with the technical officers will be leading that project and I have approved $15 million to complete that project, so the children can have more space,” she said.