Parents pay fees despite Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) promise

Published in the Jamaic Gleaner: Thursday | August 16, 2007

Despite previous concerns that parents would refuse to pay school fees as a result of the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) announcement that it would implement free tuition if it becomes the next government, schools are reporting that most parents have been paying up the required fees for their children.

Checks made with some high schools in Kingston and St. Andrew revealed that the payments, just over two weeks before the beginning of the new school year, have been as regular as can be.

According to a representative at the Holy Childhood High School, parents have been paying their fees and only one parent had so far called with concerns about the payments. This was also the case at the Excelsior High School.

However, a representative at the Holy Trinity High School in Kingston said not many parents had yet paid the fees. She said most payments had so far been made by the new students and admitted some parents were awaiting the election day results.

Some holding out

"We have parents who have said that they are holding out until the end of the election so we are holding our breaths and waiting," she said.

Sharon Francis, a resident of Whitehall in St. Andrew, is one such parent. "Me a wait cause me have two children a go school; one in six form and the other just about to start high school so me woulda really like Bruce (Golding) fi win fi help me wid dem fee deh," she said.

In the meantime, some schools do not currently know the level of fee payment that is taking place in relation to their students. Some havenot yet received their bank statements for the month of August while others will only know the status of payment when the students come in for orientation exercises in early September.

Following the JLP's announcement, the Government announced that the first part of the fees normally paid to schools under the cost sharing agreement in September would be paid over earlier in August. At least some schools, based on the announcement made by the Government, should have already received a portion of their fees.