Cabinet has approved a loan agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank to fund what officials described as a major education upgrade project, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said at the post-Cabinet briefing.

Merchant said Cabinet “approved a request by the minister for education, sports and creative industries, the Hon. Daryl Matthew, to enter into a loan agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank, CDB, to finance the education enhancement and quality improvement project.”

He described the initiative as “a major national initiative” aimed at “strengthening the quality, resilience, and inclusiveness of our education system.”

Merchant said the approved loan is expected to support “wide-ranging investments” across the sector, including “education infrastructure, institutional strengthening, teacher training, and capacity building.”

He said the decision “builds on the successful implementation” of Basic Education Project II, which he said is “soon-to-be-concluded,” and has delivered “significant improvements,” including “rehabilitation of schools and extensions, and teacher development and also policy reform.”

Merchant said the earlier programme is “nearing completion this coming June,” and the new project is intended to “sustain and expand on the gains.”

Under EQUIP, he said “major infrastructure expansion rehabilitation and repair works will be undertaken” at Antigua Girls’ High School, Ottos Comprehensive School, Richards Academy and Golden Grove Primary School, adding that the work will provide “more than 93,000 square feet of additional learning space.”

He said the project also includes “the procurement of furniture and equipment,” and “training of teachers in specialized training in special education, mathematics, sciences, modern languages, and technical and vocational education and training.”