Govt giving more aid to private schools than public

Tue, Jun 8th 2010, 12:00 AM

The economic downturn isn't the only reason private schools are receiving less aid from the government, according to Minister of Education Desmond Bannister, who said yesterday that the system of grants in aid to school boards has become "so skewed" that private school boards receive more money from the government than public schools.

"In this budget we will be giving the school board at the L.W. Young (Junior High School) $103,406. This is the largest grant that government has ever given to the school board at L.W. Young. We will also give the school board at the Doris Johnson High School $126,729, again the biggest grant ever given to this school board," said Bannister while contributing to debate on the 2010/2011 budget in the House of Assembly.

"There are several independent schools in the same neighborhood as these two schools. Last year, one of these independent schools got a grant of $806,941.23. Another got a grant of $712,633.20. Yet another got a grant of $664,270.

"A fourth got a grant of $508,880. A fifth got a grant of $427,865. That is only five of the independent schools in eastern New Providence that got grants. There are more. How do we justify this disparity in giving between our own public schools and the independent schools, particularly when we know what the law says on this issue?"

That law — the Education Grants In Aid Regulations — stipulates that private school boards are only to receive grants in aid when they are situated within communities that do not have sufficient schools.

Those schools are to be determined by the minister of education.

"Elizabeth (MP Ryan Pinder) wants more computers at Thelma Gibson Primary School. Well, we are giving them $46,200 when all around them we are giving millions to independent schools in eastern New Providence.

"No wonder members opposite think that the education system in The Bahamas is broken," he said, referencing recent comments by Fort Charlotte MP Alfred Sears. "They complain about cuts to the millions that we give to the independent schools but not one has spoken up for our public schools. The Bahamian people will judge which party really stands up for the poor people in The Bahamas."

Bannister said there is also some disparity in the grants given to independent schools.

He said one independent school receives as much as $884.51 per student, while other independent schools receive as little as $50 per student.

"Some independent schools receive nothing at all," he said. "The system has been unfair and inequitable, so that, for example, an independent school with 600 students could get more than $400,000 from government per year while another school with more than 200 students receives as little as $11,800.

"We need to be fair in the administration of these grants, and so this budgetary exercise permits us to look at the current system of grants and to seek to be fair in rationalizing it."

Click here to read more in The Nassau Guardian

alison  Tue, 2010/06/08 - 09:55 PM

the private schools should get zero from the government


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