KINGSTON, Jamaica — The youth arm of the Jamaica Labour Party, Young Jamaica, has accused President of the People’s National Party Women’s Movement, Jennifer Edwards, of trying to create mischief with her recent threat that members of the movement will withhold school fees come September.

Edwards, at the PNP women’s conference on Sunday, said that the women in the movement would not be paying any school fees because Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that education is free.

The JLP organisation charged that Edwards is trying to politicise the Government’s auxiliary fee policy and expressed extreme disappointment with the “alarmist” and “tribal vitriolic”.

However, Young Jamaica President Howard Chamberlain said: “We would caution Mrs Edwards and the rest of her PNP colleagues that the matter of education is an area that does not need or does well with politics. It is an area that requires cooperation and good judgment as we seek to lay the foundation for a prosperous Jamaica.”

Furthermore, he said the Minister of Education Ruel Reid and the ministry clearly stated that no student or parent is under any obligation to pay any type of fees at secondary institutions.

“This government has abolished all fees.  However parents that can make contributions should continue to do so but are not obligated,” Chamberlain said.

Tanesha Mundle