Garcia: Cabinet will decide on $ for private secondary schools

CABINET will decide on a proposal from the Association of Private Secondary Schools for a new financial arrangement for accommodation of students. The association is asking for an increase in the stipend from $1,200 to $5,700 per term for each child. Should the schools decide not accomodate students, Education Minister Anthony Garcia says the ministry has contingency plans in place.

He was speaking at yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's.

Garcia reiterated, "there is no fight, there is no battle" with the association about their proposal for a stipend increase. Saying the ministry's strategic executive team will discuss the proposal on Monday, Garcia said he will take a note to Cabinet after that meeting. He explained that only Cabinet can make a decision on the issue.

He said all students who qualified for secondary schools in this year's Secondary Entrance Assessment examination have been placed in government, government-assisted and three private schools.

The three private schools accommodated a total of 300 students. Garcia identified Johnson's Finishing School in Arima and Open Bible Secondary School in San Fernando as two of these schools. He did not disclose what were the contingency plans the ministry has if the private schools do not accommodate students. Sums of $4,043,700; $3,751,000 and $3,845,000 were paid to private schools to accommodate students for term one, term two and term three, respectively.