On the heels of a directive from the Minister of Education ordering school administrators to stop preventing children from attending public schools because their parents or guardians can?t afford certain school-instituted fees, a senior education official has disclosed that there is no legislative basis for the fees.

On the heels of a directive from the Minister of Education ordering school administrators to stop preventing children from attending public schools because their parents or guardians can?t afford certain school-instituted fees, a senior education official has disclosed that there is no legislative basis for the fees.

However, the education source ? who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject ? stressed that all public schools charge fees to help subsidize educational needs of students, and that the fees are not new.

"These fees have always been around," the official said.

"The minister put it best by stating that no administrator has the right to keep a student out of school because those fees are not paid."

The official made it clear however, that there is no legislation for these fees and that they need to be regularized.

"The fees include things such as workbooks, ties, jackets and physical education kits," the source said.

"They evolved as a result of practices in the public school system."

The Journal learnt that school district superintendents, the acting director of education and with the minister were locked in meetings all day Monday with the "fee" issue on the agenda.

According to the source, the primary function for these fees is to provide basic tools of learning.

There are also some technical fees included, such as a computer lab fee, the source said.

For example the fee at Gerald Cash Primary School is $25, while at Freeport Primary School it is $10, at C.C. Sweeting Junior High School it is $90 and at Government High School it is $90.

The education official told the Journal that perhaps parents are not putting the emphasis in the right places.

"They (students) come to school with the Land belts and the Kipling bags," the source said. "The priorities are not straight because they have those things and don?t have the necessary tools to learn."

Over the weekend, education minister Carl Bethel ordered that the practice by some public schools of barring students from attending school because their parents or guardians cannot pay school-imposed "registration" and other fees must cease immediately.

Minister of Education Carl Bethel disclosed in a press release on Saturday that his ministry has found out that as a result of parents not being able to come up with those fees, their children have not been allowed to attend classes.

The press release stated that under no circumstances should any child in any school in any settlement or district in any island throughout the country be prevented from attending classes in any public school because of a lack of money.

By Sasha L. Lightbourne

A very large quantity of cocaine was seized by Grand Bahama Drug Enforcement Unit officers, shortly after it arrived on the island.


Acting on information received, the team of Interdiction Officers proceeded to the Freeport Container Port around 4:00pm on Sunday 15.9.08, where they commenced enquiries.

While inspecting the contents of a 40 ft metal container that had just been off-loaded onto the storage bay, the officers discovered three large black duffle bags that were concealed among a shipment of sugar. These suspicious bags were retrieved and taken to the DEU headquarters, where, upon inspection, they were found to contain a total of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) kilos of cocaine, that have an estimated street value of three and one half (3.5) million dollars. The concealed narcotics had just arrived at the Container Port aboard the MSC Peru, that was inbound from Buenaventura, Colombia and it's cargo of containers were in transit to Port Au Prince, Haiti.

The captain and crew of the vessel were interviewed, but no arrests were made.


The seized contraband have since been flown to New Providence aboard an 'Operation Bat' helicopter, where DEU officials will be continuing the investigation, along with International Law Enforcement agencies.

C/Supt Basil V Rahming
15.9.08

The practice by some public schools of barring students from attending school because their parents or guardians cannot pay school-imposed "registration" and other fees must cease immediately, education minister Carl Bethel ordered over the weekend.

Minister of Education Carl Bethel disclosed in a press release on Saturday that his ministry has found out that as a result of parents not being able to come up with those fees, their children have not been allowed to attend classes.

The press release stated that under no circumstances should any child in any school in any settlement or district in any island throughout the country be prevented from attending classes in any public school because of a lack of money.

"It has been drawn to the attention of the Ministry of Education that some (but not all), school principals and administrators throughout The Bahamas have been turning away students who are registered or who are entitled to be registered to attend public schools on the basis that their parents or guardians are unable to pay various "registration fees" imposed by the schools," Mr. Bethel said.

"The practice of charging registration fees has developed over many years in our public schools."

Minister Bethel added that refusing entry to students who are otherwise entitled to register and to attend public schools because their parents or guardians cannot afford to pay such registration fees is contrary to the provisions of the law as set forth in the Education Act and must cease forthwith.

"As the prime minister has often asserted, no child is to be denied admission to any public school which he or she is entitled to attend because their parents or guardians are unable to pay registration fees, insurance fees, laboratory fees, or any other fees charged by school administrators," he said.

"Public school education is the primary means by which the government of The Bahamas has always sought to eradicate poverty, provide education and life-long opportunities to all children, most especially the children of the poor and the disadvantaged."

With immediate effect, parents and guardians of students who have been refused entry into public schools because of the lack of ability to pay a registration fee or any part of such fee are requested to take their children to the school which their children are entitled to attend on Monday morning, according to Minister Bethel.

The release said students who are not already registered are required to bring their birth certificate, passport, travel document or other evidence of entitlement, along with two passport photographs.

Students are also required to bring a report card from the last school that they attended.

"With immediate effect all principals and school administrators who have not already done so are directed to accept, register and enroll all students who are entitled to attend their school without regard to whether or not a registration fee can be paid," Minister Bethel said. "This Ministerial Directive admits of no derogation."

He added that all principals and school administrators must comply with its terms.

"Acting Director of Education Lionel Sands, has been requested to liaise with all district superintendents and to personally ensure that this directive is strictly enforced, commencing on Monday the 15th September 2008."

By Sasha L. Lightbourne

One of three men charged with drug possession in the Freeport on Thursday will spend two years in prison.

Evans Richardson, 25, of Garden Villas, Jackelo Pierre-Louis, 21, of Garden Villas and John Charles, 28, also of Garden Villas, all faced the charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

The prosecution withdrew an additional charge of conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

According to police, Richardson and Pierre-Louis were arrested this past Saturday around 1:20pm after they were found with 140 pounds of marijuana.

When the trio appeared before Magistrate Debbye Ferguson, Richardson pleaded guilty, while Pierre-Louis and Charles entered pleas of not guilty.

Richardson was convicted and fined $20,000 or two years and eight months imprisonment.

He was unable to pay the fine and was remanded to Her Majesty?s Prison.

Meantime, Pierre-Louis and Charles were granted bail in the amount of $8,000 each with two sureties.

The pair is expected to appear in court on May 14 for trial.

In the capital, police reported a gun seizure that occurred Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the incident occurred around 3pm after officers from the East Street South Police Station acted on a tip that a man had a gun in the Pinewood area.

When police got there, they saw a male fitting the description in a Chevy Cavalier.

Officers searched the man and car, and found a bag containing a pistol grip shotgun in the trunk.

The man, a 23-year-old, was arrested.

By Kendea Jones