Jamaican Schools Face Scrutiny Over Accounting Breaches

Ottis Brown, the Region One Director for Jamaica's Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth & Information, has sounded the alarm over widespread accounting irregularities in primary schools across Kingston and St Andrew. He revealed that principals are facing investigations by the Integrity Commission due to numerous alleged breaches of financial procedures.

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The breaches are too many. Here is what is happening now, colleagues. We are getting documents from the Integrity Commission (IC) for principals to be investigated… Accountability is stepping up.

Brown addressed educators at a back-to-school conference, stating, "The breaches are too many." He explained that the ministry receives complaints from community members who observe discrepancies in how school funds are handled, often not receiving receipts for payments made. "Stakeholders in the communities are writing to the ministry. They talk about what they observe in schools. They go to a school and they get no receipt for the money they pay," Brown said.

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Stakeholders in the communities are writing to the ministry. They talk about what they observe in schools. They go to a school and they get no receipt for the money they pay. They call you and ask if they should get a receipt and what it should look like.

The director specifically highlighted primary schools as the primary sites of these financial issues. While acknowledging that administrative challenges like staff shortages might contribute, he stressed that such issues do not excuse the observed behavior. Brown questioned why significant amounts of money, sometimes exceeding a million dollars, would be kept unsecured in school rooms for extended periods, suggesting that the absence of a bursar should not lead to such practices.

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Do you know where we tend to find the bulk of the breaches now? The primary schools. It’s a serious problem.

Brown took the opportunity to reiterate proper administrative procedures for handling school finances. He implored the educators to lodge money promptly and intact, explaining that the Financial Administration and Audit Act requires immediate deposit of collected funds without using them for change or other purposes. He concluded with a moment of levity, urging those who might be guilty to reflect and pray for forgiveness.

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Some simple things. Why would you keep money in excess of a million dollars locked up in a room for two, three weeks, months, and so forth? The bursar not being there caused that? So what I’m saying: I know you need those people, and we are working on that, but don’t do things to set up yourselves in the process.