KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MoEYI) has capped the amount of money high schools can request from parents as part of the non-obligatory contribution.

In a news release today, the ministry said it recognises that even with a change in the funding arrangement policy for secondary schools, some schools are still requesting “exorbitant” contributions from parents.

The funding to high schools from the Ministry of Education has been increased from $2.6 billion to $5.1 billion.

As a result of the exorbitant contributions being requested, the ministry says it is stipulating that the contribution being requested by schools should not exceed $20,000, inclusive of registration fee.

The ministry said that in collaboration with the National Parent Teachers’ Association of Jamaica, it has been encouraging parents to contribute to the non-obligatory contribution being requested by the schools.

“Please note that parents cannot be forced to pay these non-obligatory contributions,” the ministry said. “This is a policy directive that we have articulated clearly and so we ask that the board of management and school administrators adhere to this directive.”

Now that it has established a limit, the ministry said it is not expecting that the contribution this year should be greater than what was requested by schools last year.

“For those schools whose contribution is more than this amount, the specific case must be presented to the respective regional director for approval to be granted,” the release said.

The team at the MoEYI also committed to the auditing of each school to ensure compliance to this policy directive.

Meanwhile, the ministry said parents have been informed that they should contact their regional offices or e-mail the MOEYI at complaints@moey.gov.jm if they have any concerns or queries.