Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on Education, Andrew Holness, has called on Government to remove tuition fees from newly upgraded high schools to address the inequity that exists at the secondary level.
Mr. Holness made the proposal during his contribution to the 2006/07 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
INEQUITY
He also proposed that funds from the Universal Service Levy be used to develop the information and communication technology in the education system.
Addressing the inequity at the secondary level, Mr. Holness argued that newly upgraded high schools were "starved" of physical resources such as basic science labs, teaching equipment, proper sanitary conveniences and amenities to foster performance at the same level as traditional high schools.
TEACHERS
He also noted there was a significant difference with the type of teachers at these schools, claiming that more qualified teachers are employed at the traditional high schools than upgraded high schools.
"Why is it that more qualified teachers tend (to gravitate) towards traditional secondary schools rather than the upgraded schools? A large part of the answer lies in the fact that traditional schools are able to supplement the teacher's salary," he said.
Mr. Holness said if tuition fees were removed at the upgraded high schools, this would immediately increase inflows to those schools and remove their dependency on collection of uncertain school fees.
Turning to the Universal Service Levy, which is a cess charged on incoming overseas calls, Mr. Holness said that the Government should look at re-routing some of this money to improve access to technology in these schools.
INCREASE ALLOCATION
He said that the Opposition was strongly against the Government using $300 million of the $5 billion of the Educational Transformation Fund, to develop technology.
Mr. Holness also renewed calls for the Government to make good on its promise to increase the allocation to education in the national budget to 15 per cent.
