With the administration largely stunned into inertia by the global crisis and seemingly starved of big ideas to stimulate recovery and growth, the education minister, Andrew Holness, has outlined a proposal that could well be the stimulus required to jump-start the economy.

And the good thing is that Mr Holness' plan would not only create jobs and help expand GDP now, its more fundamental impact would be later in the delivery of a better educated and ultimately more productive Jamaican. At least, that's the minister's expectations from his proposal to build scores of new schools in short order - perhaps two years.

Mr Holness' proposals for building schools, it is to be pointed out, were not based on an intent to deal with short-term economic problems, but in the context of his ideas for dealing with Jamaica's chronic underachievement in education to ensure that there is enough space for all students as part of the solution to this problem.

Poor outcome

According to the minister, the system of two shifts, which obtains in 116 Jamaican schools, affecting over 154,000 students, is among the causes of the poor outcomes of the education system. To fix that problem, as well as to eliminate overcrowding and offer universal secondary education up to grade 11, Mr Holness says at least 60 brand-new schools are required. The new schools would also assure spaces in secondary schools for the one-fifth to one-third of eligible grade 10 and grade 11 students who are not in the system. About 40 other schools would have to be rebuilt or refurbished under the plan.

What is interesting about Mr Holness' idea is the creative proposal for financing the plant build-out. The Jamaican government is, by and large, broke. The Government's debt is 114 per cent of GDP and the public-sector deficit is over eight per cent. The payment of principal and interest of the debt will this year account for 56 per cent of the Government's budget.

Get private sector help

In other words, especially with the Government looking to the International Monetary Fund for loans, it will have no money to finance Mr Holiness' capital programme, estimated to cost around US$325 million or J$29 billion. Mr Holness says that the schools could be built by the private sector, on the basis of entering secure lease agreements with the government. With available resources, assuming the US government and World Bank support coming on stream, Jamaica could, perhaps, build five schools a year and deliver the 100 over 20 years. Or, it could, with the private sector, build all quickly.

The idea is, to us, eminently sensible. In any many ways, it is not unlike what was attempted with the Montego Bay airport and Highway 2000. Its financing, however, requires better structuring than with the latter project.

Indeed, the proposal would drive a revival of the construction sector that has gone into a slump since the completion of the Spanish hotels and the onset of the economic crisis. This sector's capacity to absorb low-skilled labour is well known.

Such a scheme, we feel, would open the door for many players and possibly for the creation of new entities and the revival of property companies that have been dormant for years. The Government should move quickly on this one.

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