THE number of independent schools in Jamaica continues to grow at a rapid rate, even as the Ministry of Education is developing a tighter system to register and monitor their operations.

The Independent Schools Unit of the Ministry of Education says there are nearly 500 registered independent institutions of various types, and that new applications are being received by the Unit “every day”.

Last month, the education ministry gave notice that it was strengthening its capability to regulate independent schools. Permanent Secretary Audrey Sewell disclosed that the ministry had drafted a new policy on the operations of private educational institutions.

She said Eduction Minister Andrew Holness would soon disclose details of the policy, which will focus on issues such as the general management of the institutions, including their financial, registration, enrolment and examinations systems.

This announcement followed news that nearly 1,000 students from Hutton’s Education Unit — a chain of continuing education schools in Kingston and St Catherine — were in danger of not sitting their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams in May and June this year, because of Hutton’s failure to hand over their exam fees to the Overseas Examinations Commission which collects fees for the exams in Jamaica.

CXC has since stated that the students may sit the exam, after Hutton’s director Neville Hutton signed an agreement that he will pay the outstanding amounts.

Director of the ISU Yvonne Campbell told Career & Education that while the new draft policy was ready, the review was not yet complete.

“It is a work in progress. I will be meeting with the chief education officer on the way forward, after which a report will be done for the PS (permanent secretary) on the matter,” she said.

Meanwhile, a source at the ministry told Career & Education that although the ISU received new applications for schools to be registered “every day”, the process between application and registration took about one year. However, the source was unable to say how many new institutions had been registered in the past two years.

According to the source, provisional registration was granted after an initial site visit, a report was produced by an education officer, after which the application was considered by a committee.

The committee, the source said, included a number of stakeholders, including a retired educational officer, representatives from the Jamaica Teachers’ Association and the Jamaica Independent Schools’ Association, and a legal officer. Registration is granted after approval by the committee.

Meanwhile, Amii Stewart, one of students of Hutton’s whose opportunity to the do the CXCs was under threat, said classes were now going smoothly at the institution.