THE People’s National Party (PNP) has put forward a First in Family programme in its manifesto released on Thursday, proposing that one child from each family that matriculates into a tertiary institution is guaranteed a scholarship.

The Opposition party’s manifesto was launched ahead of next week’s national debates and the September 3 General Election in a bid to woo prospective voters.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer on Thursday, chairman of the PNP’s Manifesto Committee Damion Crawford explained that in the context of the Jamaican society scholarships will go to the first child to matriculate to university living within a household, nuclear or single parent.

“So if you live with your single mother under the same roof and she has another you qualify even if your father is living in another household with five children because that is the culture and reality of Jamaica. It’s a reality that we would hope to change but a reality that we must work with at this particular point in time,” he said.

“So our two definitions for the First in Family is going to be a shared immediate ancestor or at least one adult and one child living under the same roof. That’s the first to matriculate not the firstborn. So once you matriculate we expect that child to become the catalyst of change and the motivator of improvement for that family. We feel that one person having a degree per household will dramatically change Jamaica’s circumstance, transforming shops into wholesale and hustles into business,” he added.

Asked how the programme will be funded, the PNP vice-president said allocations will be made in the budget annually to cover the cost.

“The total budget Jamaica has currently is over $800 billion. We have estimated that an average school fee amounts to $350,000 per person. We’ll be able to give 10,000 scholarships for $3.5 billion. So that’s $350,000 multiplied by 10 multiplied by 1,000 that’s $3.5 billion.

“So 10,000 persons will be able to get a scholarship of up to $350,000. Now that is less than 0.5 per cent of the budget. Affordability is based on money available and money to be used, and less than 0.5 per cent doesn’t suggest unaffordable. What it suggests is that it wasn’t a priority for the Jamaica Labour Party Government,” said Crawford.

Added to that, the PNP has said that should it form the next Government the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) will not require guarantors for applicants.

It said students will have the option of incorporating fees into the loans, while public servants, such as nurses, junior doctors, security guards, and teachers, will enjoy a one-year moratorium on student loan principal and interest while employed to the public service.

The PNP is also proposing that students who volunteer with the National Institute of Volunteerism will enjoy membership in a reward programme that includes special access to housing, education and other government and private sector benefits.

“The PNP Government will transform the College of Agriculture, Science and Education into a research-led university. The SLB will fund certificate programmes, nano-degrees and other courses which will increase access to employment.

“The PNP will facilitate increased opportunities for students in short-term employment both locally and overseas. As we build out and transform the education system, the next PNP Government will also strengthen the teachers’ training colleges which are critical to the backbone of the overall educationsector,” the party said in its manifesto.