A regional think tank yesterday reported that Government spending on tertiary education "disproportionately favours the wealthy".

According to the "report card on education in Jamaica", jointly launched by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) and the Partnership for Educational Revitalisation of the Americas (PREAL) at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston, "Budget mechanisms do not help to minimise differences in school quality. Government spending on tertiary education, resulting in the relatively high cost of tertiary education, disproportionately favours the wealthy, as they are eight times more likely to access tertiary education than other groups," the 'Prisms of Possibility' report said.

"Nearly 90 per cent of persons in the poorest fifth of the population have no secondary or post-secondary certification, compared to 56 per cent of the wealthiest fifth. Persons in rural areas show a higher rate of non-certification (85 per cent) versus an average of 75 per cent at the national level," the report added.

"Inequalities by school type persist. The average GSAT score in preparatory school is 80 per cent, compared to below 60 per cent in public schools. Students in upgraded secondary schools perform below their counterparts in traditional high schools," the CaPRI report said.