Dear Editor,
There is a old saying in Jamaica, "Tom drunk but Tom nuh fool," and if there ever was a time that it is applicable, it is now.
I listened last week to a town hall meeting where the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness and others from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) were speaking, and it was said that the JLP would remove "obligatory" fees if they were to form the next government. A clarification from Audley Shaw said that they will be removing auxiliary fees now being charged by high schools. I recall my days in high school and we used to pay tuition and auxiliary fees. The auxiliary fees were used to offset the costs borne by the school that cannot be accommodated by the government subsidy.
The Jamaican populace must ask the JLP how will the schools function and, further, how will this be financed? Unless the JLP can explain this to the electorate definitively, we should not buy into this farce that they are trying to sell to the Jamaican people. If they cannot give details, then we can only conclude that the JLP will do or say anything to get into power.
I am baffled that the JLP would want to make such a promise, given the fiscal constraints that we face at the moment.
The Jamaican people must discern, and discern well. We cannot afford free education. The last time we made a service free, ie public health care, the country faced dire consequences. We need not look far to see how our health care has been compromised because it has been underfunded. Now the JLP is coming to do the same with education. We should not be deceived, because nothing is free; someone will have to pay for it.
Ralston Chamberlain
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ralston.chamberlain@alum.utoronto.ca
Will the JLP say anything to get power?
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There is a old saying in Jamaica, "Tom drunk but Tom nuh fool," and if there ever was a time that it is applicable, it is now.
I listened last week to a town hall meeting where the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Holness and others from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) were speaking, and it was said that the JLP would remove "obligatory" fees if they were to form the next government. A clarification from Audley Shaw said that they will be removing auxiliary fees now being charged by high schools. I recall my days in high school and we used to pay tuition and auxiliary fees. The auxiliary fees were used to offset the costs borne by the school that cannot be accommodated by the government subsidy.
The Jamaican populace must ask the JLP how will the schools function and, further, how will this be financed? Unless the JLP can explain this to the electorate definitively, we should not buy into this farce that they are trying to sell to the Jamaican people. If they cannot give details, then we can only conclude that the JLP will do or say anything to get into power.
I am baffled that the JLP would want to make such a promise, given the fiscal constraints that we face at the moment.
The Jamaican people must discern, and discern well. We cannot afford free education. The last time we made a service free, ie public health care, the country faced dire consequences. We need not look far to see how our health care has been compromised because it has been underfunded. Now the JLP is coming to do the same with education. We should not be deceived, because nothing is free; someone will have to pay for it.
Ralston Chamberlain
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ralston.chamberlain@alum.utoronto.ca
Will the JLP say anything to get power?
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