Budget Debate: Construction to start on two STEAM schools this year, says Holness

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in Parliament on Thursday. Photo: Garfield Robinson

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March 22, 2026

Budget Debate: Construction to start on two STEAM schools this year, says Holness

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says ground will be broken this year for the construction of two Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) schools.

“I am proud to announce that we will break ground this year on two of the six STEAM schools that I had announced previously. The first will be established at Bernard Lodge in St Catherine and the second at Minard in St Ann,” said Holness last Thursday during his contribution to the Budget Debate.

“If we are serious about competing in a tech-driven, AI-enabled global economy, we cannot educate our children for a world that no longer exists. We must build the institutions that prepare them for the world of today and, more importantly, to compete globally in the world of tomorrow,” he said.

The prime minister told the House that simultaneously, the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority will be building the other four STEAM institutions that will take students from early childhood straight through secondary education, immersing them in STEAM from the earliest years, “right through to the door of our tertiary institutions”.

“These schools will bring an entirely new approach to education, exposing students to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics in ways that build the creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills that the economy of the future demands,” said the prime minister.