The cashless schools e-pay card system, a digital payment solution designed for the education sector, was launched on Tuesday (October 29) during a ceremony at Campion College in St. Andrew.
The system, developed by ePay Jamaica, is intended to modernise the payment experience within the school environment by facilitating seamless, secure cashless transactions for essential services, such as meals and transportation, thereby bringing convenience, safety and efficiency to students, parents and educational institutions.
Funds are stored in a secure digital wallet that can be accessed via a mobile application (app), giving parents expenditure oversight and control.
It facilitates real-time monitoring and notifications so that parents and students receive timely notifications on expenditures, thereby enabling them to track and manage school-related expenses.
The system’s prepaid and auto top-up options provide flexible payment choices to maintain a steady balance for daily school needs.
Chief Executive Officer of ePay Jamaica, Havanah Llewellyn, said the cashless schools e-pay card is initially being rolled out at Campion College, St. Andrew High School, Mona Preparatory School and St. Peter and Paul Preparatory School.
ePay will continue to partner with a growing list of educational institutions that are integrating digital payments into their daily operations.
“From there, we are looking to engage with an additional 20 schools in the month of January and then, by the end of the year, we will look to have 100 schools on our platform. We want to be able to take this to all 300 schools across the country as well as independent schools and really create an environment that is going to bring safety, peace of mind and inclusion to our children, our schools and our community,” Mr. Llewellyn said.
Schools benefit from a cashless solution that leverages cellular technology for increased transaction efficiency, even in areas of poor internet connectivity.
Technical Support Officer in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr. Nahema Daniels-Heath, welcomed the ePay platform, noting it aligns with the Ministry’s Transforming Education for National Development (TREND) initiative.
“At the core of TREND is our commitment to reimagining how our education system operates, ensuring that every initiative advances our national development priorities. The introduction of a cashless payment system aligns perfectly with our TREND goals of building safer, inclusive and innovative learning environments, equipping students with essential 21st century skills and modernising school operations to support economic development,” she said.
Parents can register and set up an ePay account and link it to a student’s profile.
Parents and student cardholders can securely fund their cards in real time through numerous options, including e-commerce, bank transfer, ePay merchant agent top-up and bill payment service provider Paymaster.
They can also view and transfer balances using the ePay online/web-based portal at https://epayja.com or via the ePay mobile app.
The initiative is being undertaken by ePay Jamaica in partnership with Norbrook Transaction Services Limited, and Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Group.
