Erica Virtue, Staff Reporter
THE ISLAND'S secondary schools, along with parents, will know before the end of the current academic year next month the level of increases, if any, that has been allowed by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2000-2001.
Each year schools are required to get authorisation from the Ministry of Education for fees to be charged.
Currently students at secondary schools pay between $2,000 and $7,000 per year. Most fees include that paid for the rental of text books. Boarding institutions charge more.
According to the Ministry, the approved fee structure is not yet ready for publication.
"It is still being worked on and will be ready before the end of the school year," Edwin Thomas, information officer at the Ministry said last week.
Fees are usually announced during the summer vacations but, Mr. Thomas said, the approved structure will be announced before the end of this academic year.
Asked if the Ministry had urged schools to put a freeze on school fees because of big payout under the cost-sharing programme, he added: "I do not know that the Ministry of Education told any school to freeze fees. But, schools have always been told to keep increases at a minimum."
In the academic year 1999/2000, the fee structure ranged from no increase to a high of 15 per cent increase. Mr. Thomas said the level of increases are intended to be minimal.
"It is a two-way thing. The Ministry and the schools are trying to keep the fees to a minimum. That has been the position from the start of the programme," Mr. Thomas said.
He said the Ministry sets aside a budget for the payment of school fees.
According to him, he said he was not aware that the request of any school had been turned down in the past.
He also said schools are urged to send their requests by October of the first term, so that payment can be made by the end of the Christmas term.
Under the cost-sharing programme, no child should be turned away because of inability to pay fees, but cost is shared by the parents and the Government.
Some of those who receive full fee payment from the Ministry of Education are secondary school-age children, who are wards of the State.
At the begining of the current academic year, some schools reported that as many as 80 per cent of secondary school children had sought assistance under the programme.
