WESTERN BUREAU — Prime Minister P J Patterson yesterday defended his party’s achievements in the field of education, saying that no other administration has made more contribution to that sector than the People’s National Party.

“My administration, under Norman Manley (with) the introduction of 2,000 free places, (and) under Michael Manley with the introduction of free secondary education, has always had an irrevocable commitment to education,” the prime minister said.

According to Patterson, the PNP regards education as the best vehicle to economic prosperity and human development.

He was speaking at the handing-over ceremony of 15 computers by the National Housing Trust (NHT), to the New Hope Primary and Junior High and Unity Primary Schools in Whitehouse, Westmoreland.

The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has harshly criticised the government for not doing enough for education. Late last year, JLP deputy leader, Audley Shaw, called for an increase of $8 billion in budgetary allocation for education, during this financial year.

Shaw charged then that the lack of a proper educational system has resulted in a ‘crisis of falling standards’ in the country and has manifested itself in rampant criminal activities, a high level of unemployment and an increase in poverty.

According to Shaw, a JLP government would abolish the present cost-sharing scheme, revamp the Heart and National Youth Service programmes and strengthen the Technical and Vocational departments.

But yesterday, the prime minister stood by his record on education and said he was happy to add to the list of achievements that had been made in the field under previous PNP governments.

He said, too, that no administration has built and refurbished more schools than the one he heads.

“No administration has done more to universalise the school feeding programme than mine, no administration has done more to modernise our education policy … to make our education policy more relevant than mine,” Patterson said.

In addition he said other administration had never done what he has done in terms of providing computers in schools.

According to Patterson, as of October last year all 134 high schools in the island had established computer labs with the newest four schools being provided with laboratories under the Secondary Enhancement Programme.

He said half of the primary and junior high schools are now equipped with computers and 218 of the island’s 350 primary schools have access to computers.

The donation of the 15 computers to the New Hope Primary and Junior High and Unity Primary schools in Westmoreland yesterday, forms part of the NHT’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

During this year, the NHT plans to spend approximately $40 million to equip at least one school in each parish with a fully functional computer laboratory.

Last month, the Lowe River Primary and Junior High in Trelawny was presented with 15 computers, while St Alban’s Primary in St Elizabeth received five earlier this month.