KINGSTON, Jamaica – Education Minister Ruel Reid in a statement today, responded to claims that he, through the removal of auxiliary fees, will be defunding secondary schools across the island.

Reid, in noting the concerns expressed on the weekend by the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), said that the Government, through the Education Ministry, will not defund high schools. 

“We will ensure that schools are adequately funded in order to carry out their functions to educate the nation’s children. This is why we have asked each school to provide us with its individual budget in order to accurately determine the level of funding required,” Reid insisted.

He added that the ministry recognised that contributions from parents and other stakeholders play an important role in funding developmental projects and programmes in school and has asked parents to continue to make these contributions as determined by school boards and Parent Teachers Associations.

“Starting next week I will lead a team from the ministry, in partnership with the National Parents Teachers Association of Jamaica, to dialogue with parents about their role under the new tuition-free policy,” Reid stated, adding that following these consultations he will meet again with the leadership of the principals’ associations in early June to finalise arrangements to implement the tuition-free policy.