M.O.E. Cuts Back Schools’ Subventions for April

The Ministry of Education says that the nearly non-existent revenue flow has forced it to make a difficult decision. The Ministry has decided, after a meeting with managing authorities that for April, the disbursement for most schools under the Financial Allocation System will reflect the School Services Grant only. This was communicated to chairpersons and to the secretary of secondary schools boards of management via a memo dated April twenty-third. The memo is signed be C.E.O. Deborah Domingo, who says that the cut back for April does not affect teacher’s salaries.

Deborah Domingo, C.E.O., Ministry of Education

“It means for the month of April that schools will be receiving the portion of the grant that covers the government’s commitment for salary and the additional grant would be towards operational expenses for the school. The grant that schools receive normally has two components: student support and the part that goes for salary etcetera. So given our constraints it is just the school services part of the grant that were released for the month of April. The other part of the grant that would have normally gone to the school for academic assistance programme, for other student assistance programme that was withheld for the month of April.”

Hipolito Novelo

“And just to be clear the school services grant includes the salary for teachers? “

Deborah Domingo

“Yes. It covers the governments committed for salaries. In most instances it surpasses what the commitment is. Please be mindful that in the memo to which you have referred there is also a commitment to revisit the funding come May. There has been a meeting with proprietors for managing authorities  particularly for grant aided schools inviting them to indicate to the ministry what the impact is of not receiving the academic assistance grant that is suppose to fund your student programme.”