A means test will be administered to determine children who qualify for the State’s student support grant, one of the items announced in the 2024 national budget.

As he delivered his presentation in the House of Representatives on Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said an estimated 65,000 needy children will benefit from the $1000 grant, which will go towards buying school supplies such as uniforms, shoes, book bags, stationery and books.

Meanwhile, the government will meet with education stakeholders next year to look at standardizing textbooks. Minister Imbert lamented that too frequent changes to booklist items add an unnecessary cost for parents for each academic year.

“(It is) unwarranted in the areas requiring little change, such as science subjects like chemistry. These continuous additions and alterations to school booklists…create additionally yearly expenses for families. In 2024, therefore, we intend to consult with stakeholders in the education sector, for standardised textbooks as far as is practical, and eliminate the need for unnecessary new textbooks arriving on the curriculum every year,” the Finance Minister said.