FALMOUTH, Trelawny:
Audley Shaw, a Deputy Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), wants the Government to provide funds for a remedial programme in the nation's high schools, as an immediate measure to stem the decline in education.
Mr. Shaw was addressing parents getting assistance from an American benevolent organisation called the Poverty Alleviation Network at the Falmouth Baptist Church Education Centre on Saturday.
"The Government has failed to honour its agreement with regards to education. Instead of increasing the education budget by one per cent of the overall budget moving it from 10 per cent to 11 per cent it was decreased by one per cent instead which is about $5 billion," said Mr. Shaw.
INADEQUATE FUNDING
According to him, because of the inadequate funding for education, "too many of our children are being left behind primarily at the early childhood level". He cited a high school where he said of the 500 children assigned to the school, 249 passed with a grade below 40 per cent in the Grade Six Achievement Text, noting that this failure is being paraded as pass. He noted, too, that the results are seen in the dismal pass rate at CXC level.
