Senate gives nod to Charter of Rights

WHENEVER GOVERNOR General Sir Patrick Allen gives his assent to the Charter of Rights, all Jamaican children up to the secondary level will have a constitutional right to tuition-free education.

The Senate on Friday gave its stamp of authority to the landmark constitutional amendments. The House of Representatives had passed the bill last week.

While welcoming the Charter of Rights, Opposition Senator Basil Waite, who is the spokesman on education, has urged the Government to back the constitutional commitment with the requisite funding.

"The basic schools, which are community operated, which cater to over 120,000 of our children, they are not free. They have to pay tuition of approximately an average of $9,000 per year ... ," Waite said.

"We need to ensure that it is not a substandard publicly funded education," Waite said.