The Government will be putting measures in place to assist tertiary-level students, who may be de-registered for non-payment of fees in September, as a result of the pending freeze on tertiary subsidies.

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, revealed this at last Thursday's sitting of the House of Representatives. He said the assistance will be provided through the Students' Loan Bureau, with grants or separate provisions given to the universities to address those students in need.

"We have already made that kind of accommodation for those students. How we distribute whatever benefit we give has to be done on a means-tested basis," he said, noting that this is the procedure used in awarding grants and benefits to tertiary institutions.

$7 billion grant

In 2009/10, the University of the West Indies received a grant of approximately $7 billion with a proposed allocation of $6.7 billion for the financial year 2010/2011. The University of Technology was allocated $1.9 billion for the 2009/10 fiscal year and a projected budget of $1.8 billion is expected for the 2010/11 financial year.

Holness told the House that tertiary institutions have been issued a strict directive to keep the expected tuition fee increases in line with inflation.

"The present economic situation that we find ourselves in will dictate that we would not be able to increase in any significant way or at all, the funding to tertiary institutions. Students will face an increase in their fees, but we have said to institutions that any increase must be in line with inflation," he stated.

Meanwhile, the education minister said that a detailed submission is to be presented to Cabinet in April on the Strategic Policy and Plan for the Tertiary Sector in Jamaica. He explained that the strategic plan will establish a Commission to regulate and give oversight to the tertiary sector.