Seaga IN ADDITION to its election promise of free education for students up to the secondary level, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is proposing major reform programmes for early childhood education, illiteracy among primary students, as well as increased funding for tertiary studies.
At a press briefing yesterday at its Belmont Road headquarters, New Kingston, the party elaborated on its education programmes and outlined the means by which they would be financed.
The party says it would cost about $5.7 billion, over a five-year period, to build 70 infant schools and upgrade existing basic schools; provide additional training for some 10,000 teachers; and upgrade secondary schools to accommodate students who would have left the all-age schools system at age 15.
Also, it will cost an additional $2.3 billion, each year, to pick up the tab for free tuition at the infant and secondary levels as well as the provision of more funding for newly-upgraded secondary schools to bring them up to par with traditional high school.
The programmes will be financed by a tax-free long-term bond to raise low-cost funds. The annual savings from this bond will be used to finance the Education Plan which has 42 planks. Any shortfall will be met from surpluses from the HEART programme, which provides skills training for young Jamaicans in several different areas.
Edward Seaga, the JLP leader, said the Education Plan was the most comprehensive of the party's election promises and insisted that under a JLP administration nothing would derail the reform programme.
Other aspects of the JLP education platform include:
the development of a parenting education programme to impact on child education.
introduction of computer education from the early childhood level.
re-establishment of truant officers to visit the family of absentee students and devise strategies for their return to school.
extension of the moratorium period for students' loans to tertiary institutions.
introduction of a programme of community or government service as a repayment option to encourage university graduates to serve their communities.
formalising the relationship between JAMAL, churches and schools to provide literacy classes for children and adults.
Mr. Seaga yesterday again dismissed a promise by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to end the cost-sharing programme and provide free education to the secondary level by 2005.
Mr. Seaga said the move by the governing People's National Party was inevitable, given the commitment of the JLP to phase out the cost-sharing programme by 2003, if elected.
"Don't tell me you are going to do it by 2005. Do it now," Mr. Seaga said.
He described as "laughable" Mr. Patterson's promise to have the government pay the examination fees for students sitting English, mathematics, information technology and a science subject in next year's CXC examinations.
