Each year one can expect to see the drama unfold among several stakeholders in education in Jamaica. The script has become so standardised that, like children who have watched their favourite cartoon countless times, we can say the lines ahead of the characters.

The first scene is one in which the GSAT results are due for publication and the Ministry of Education, aware of the shortage of high school spaces for those who have sat the examination and performed at a satisfactory level, either delays publishing the results or states that there are challenges with spaces for all who sat the examination. This is usually followed by a flurry of activity by parents whose children were unsuccessful in their bid to secure a space in their school of choice. The parents seek to pit the ministry against the principals and vice versa, in seeking transfers for their children. A visit to any high school principal’s office will make plain the situation.

The next scene is one in which the schools have to advise parents of the auxiliary fees that will have to be paid. In this instance the issue becomes clouded by politics. In an attempt to present itself as the benevolent patron of the people, the Government, through the Ministry of Education, places a cap on the fees that schools can charge, while insinuating that the schools are doing something nefarious in charging these fees. The stage is then set for an antagonistic relationship between parents and the school administrators, even before the registration process has commenced. In the end, what we have is not a fairy-tale drama in which the parties all live happily ever after, but a situation of distrust and conflict between parties that are supposed to be partners and stakeholders in education.

It seems that some drastic changes need to be made if the script is to read differently in future years. There needs to be honesty and openness in the relationship between the partners. The Government needs to acknowledge that even though the financial provisions for education have increased over the years, the allocation is inadequate for dealing with the educational needs of the country. The schools cannot make it on the limited subvention and school fee allocation it makes to each institution. Indeed, the major provision which the Government makes is in the form of the subvention which is supposed to take care of salaries, and schools are finding that the subvention is being cut arbitrarily by the Ministry of Education and schools are being asked to “be creative” in dealing with the shortfall. How must schools cope with the shortfall? Where are the schools to find the funds to take care of the many expenses that are not covered by the subvention or the limited amount that covers as school fees?

It is to the auxiliary fees that the schools must first turn. These fees assist schools in paying the salaries of part-time teachers, maintaining science labs and subject areas, which require special facilities and resources, providing security, maintaining a school bus, and feeding some students. In addition, the tax concessions which were previously available to schools to purchase school buses have now been discontinued.

What is even more troubling is the amount of time which teachers, students, parents, past students, board members, and benefactors and sponsors have to spend to raise funds to do all the other things necessary for the maintenance of an institution that provides quality education — funds that the Government of Jamaica claims as “public funds” and therefore subject to their jurisdiction. This latter development is troubling to churches and trusts which operate schools, and is no doubt more than a matter of passing interest for Parent Teachers Associations, Past Students’ Associations, and benefactors. It is clear that terming principals and teachers “extortionists” as they seek to find creative ways to fulfil the mandate of the educational objective, while serving a short-term political agenda, cannot be in the long-term interest of our children and the country as a whole.

Much has been made of the initiative of the Merl Grove High School in requiring Grade 10 students to pay for and attend chemistry summer school. The principal has come in for a lot of flak for this decision. Clearly, there was need for greater communication, transparency and consultation with various stakeholders on the matter, and perhaps some are happy that the principal has been “cut down to size”. But the real question is: Who are the victors and losers in this situation — if there are any?

The country needs to wake up to the reality of what is happening in the field of education. The top-performing schools in CSEC and CAPE, which are sought after by the parents of those sitting GSAT, are not top performers because they have superior teachers. They begin with the pick of the “crop” of GSAT passes. When one passes by these schools at the end of the school day, and on Saturdays, one observes that extra lessons are being held for the students and the countless others who come from other schools. It is the same scenario during the summer holidays. Therefore, we need to dispel some myths.

The sciences are among the areas in which many of our students are underperforming, and chemistry is one such subject. If this initiative is geared toward enhancing students’ performance and achievement in this subject, then it is to be commended. If, however, there are ulterior motives of which we are unaware, and which have only just come to the fore, then it is to be frowned upon.

At the same time, parents need to understand the level of the investment they must make in their children if they are to be equipped to face life in this very competitive world. It is my experience that too many parents who quibble about the auxiliary fees to be paid show by their lifestyle that the fees are not beyond their ability to pay. In addition, reports in the media suggest that the level of compliance has not reached the 100 per cent mark. This means that some persons are able to gain exemption where need exists. I am aware that some parents even get free boarding for their child where need is established. What is troubling, however, is the ease with which some parents, when they come to visit the school, are quick to invoke government pronouncement that “education is free”. Clearly, many have not yet come to realise that the world of work and the future of their child is one which requires the acquisition of academic credentials of the highest level. Many of us who today peddle the idea of free education are the sons and daughters of parents who saw it as their duty to invest in our education, and who ensured that we made good on their investment. At this time of national celebration when we focus on Emancipation and Independence, we need to be reminded that there is hardly any greater vehicle to enslavement than ignorance and the lack of an education. An educated population makes for emancipated and independent individuals and an emancipated and independent nation.

Pull Quote… Parents need to understand the level of the investment they must make in their children if they are to be equipped to face life in this very competitive world. It is my experience that too many parents who quibble about the auxiliary fees to be paid show by their lifestyle that the fees are not beyond their ability to pay. In addition, reports in the media suggest that the level of compliance has not reached the 100 per cent mark. This means that some persons are able to gain exemption where need exists