Government plans to spend $1.2 billion more on its social sector initiatives in 2023, according to its social sector investment programme document issued by the Finance Ministry following Monday’s budget.
The 2023 allocation is $11.2 billion, up from $9.9 billion in 2022. Of this figure, $2.2 billion will go to social infrastructure, including $1.12 billion to development programmes and $1.1 billion to the infrastructure development fund, while an estimated $9 billion will go to social programming.
These funds will be spread across the ministries of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Digital Transformation, Education, Health, Housing and Urban Development, Labour, the Office of the Prime Minister- Gender and Child Affairs, Public Utilities, Rural Development and Local Government, Social Development and Family Services, Sport and Community Development, Youth Development and National Service, and the Tobago House of Assembly.
Agriculture
Local food production of strategic crops is one of the major initiatives planned by the Agriculture Ministry, aimed at the promotion of healthy eating as a means of improving health and wellness, reducing non-communicable diseases and health care costs to the State, increasing the involvement of youth and women in agriculture, and decreasing the food import bill and reliance on imported foods.
The ministry will aim to provide livestock farmers with a constant supply of locally produced forage feed annually through the development of pasture access and forage management systems at Mon Jaloux Forage Development Centre and La Gloria Forage Farm.
Other projects will include establishment of a community-based aquaculture programme, a national seed bank, and development of young entrepreneurs in ornamental horticulture in rural communities.
Education
Under the Education Ministry, the TT National Learning Assessment (TTNLA) has been developed to replace the National Test at the primary school level and the National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE) at the secondary school level. A pilot assessment will be conducted in 30 out of 200 primary schools at the standards one and three levels and implementation will take place at the secondary level to a representative sample of form three students at 50 schools.
Phase two of the SEA portal will also be launched in 2023, which will focus on allowing access to downloadable PDF files to assist with secondary school registration and provide sensitisation sessions or webinars for parents in rural districts and other districts.
Housing and Urban Development
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Land Settlement Agency will focus on the regularisation of squatter-communities housing, as well as a village improvement programme and regeneration of communities in the greater Port of Spain region.
[caption id="attachment_977728" align="alignnone" width="1024"] An aerial view of east Port of Spain.File photo/Jeff K Mayers[/caption]
Several projects will be implemented under the East Port of Spain Development Co Ltd (EPOS),
