Whiteman PRIMARY AND secondary schools will begin paying their utility bills from their own coffers as of the beginning of next month.
This is part of the Ministry of Education's policy to decentralise the management of schools. The Ministry has been picking up the monthly tab for utilities. However, under the new arrangement, an average utility subvention will be sent to schools, based on previous levels of consumption.
Edwin Thomas, the Ministry's information officer, said yesterday that the move would force schools into taking greater care in how they use electricity, water and telephones.
"Among other things, it does create a greater sense of responsibility on the part of the school about dealing with the bills. Having the responsibility for the payment of the bill, they will be more judicious in the use of utilities and more concerned about the bills," Mr. Thomas said.
Last month, Education Minister Burchell Whiteman said the new arrangement would not only force the schools to manage their utilities better, but could also result in savings that could be ploughed back into the institutions.
"Any savings they manage to make are to their advantage," he said.
However, schools that exceed the amount given by the Ministry will have to find ways of making the payment without the help of the Ministry, Mr. Thomas said. "They would have to deal with that, because there must have been a basis for setting how much the schools get, so they'll have to deal with it."
Meanwhile, president of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA), Judith Spencer-Jarrett, said her association does not have a difficulty with the new measure. She noted, however, that the JTA would be viewing the plan closely.
"We have not heard of any real problems from schools...(and) at the moment we can settle for the plan," she said.
Principals of some schools with outstanding bills had initially expressed concern to the JTA about whether the Ministry would clear their balances before the new policy came into effect. Coming out of discussions between the Ministry and the JTA last week, Mrs. Spencer-Jarrett said an assurance was given that the outstanding bills for schools would be cleared up to September.
