the cost of education in the jamaica

I am amazed at how much we take for granted in the States. generally public schooling is free here in the States it comes with very little cost. even transportation to and from is provided. unfortunately this does not seem to be the case in Jamaica. uniforms must be purchased school supplies must be purchased and definitely money for food and transportation. my good friend told me recently that because his son is a very good student he must now pay additional money so that his son can take this exam for students of his caliber. I don't know how they can do it based on what I see is the general minimum wage in Jamaica. so when I can I help.

Don't you pay school taxes in your state?

I don't agree about public schooling being free in the US. We pay huge school taxes (about $6000 a year) to support it whether you have kids in school or not. If you own a home or not you are paying for it.

It's not free here either, we also pay school taxes if you own property, it's part of your rent if you don't, BUT... If you are extremely poor, you can get welfare and assisted housing, so you don't need to dig into your pocket to send your kids to school. Basically, the poor get the same education and go to the same schools as the middle class (I say middle class because obviously the private schools are not accessible to them). The choice of sending your kids to school or spending the $$ elsewhere is taken out of their hands...

Yes we do pay for it in our taxes weather we have children in school or not. but we got a lot more money. keep in mind your annual income as compared to a Jamaican

Having schooled my daughter in private schools all the way to UWI and my son until he quit (which he now really regrets) I think the costs were much less than here in the states but as has been said the income is so much lower for the average earner in JA.

Public education in the US is far from free. Our school taxes are nearly $11,000 annually, and going up each year. I don't have kids, either. It's an investment in my future to my way of thinking, but it is certainly far from free.

Lot of disparity in the quality of education in the us public school system as well.

After that article in the gleaner a few days back about the pay rise being given to minimum wage earners in JA, I do not understand how they make ends meet with kids in school though.

I agree with ljbd that the relative costs of sending a kid to school in Jamaica is a burden for the average Jamaican family However, comparing it to Ottawa, where I'm from is like comparing apples and watermelons. In Jamaica, a parent only pays for the years that their child is actually going to school. I've been paying school taxes since I was 19 years old, and will continue to do so until I croak. I don't even want to start to work out what that would be on a per kid, per year basis (I have two daughters). And that's without even getting into the discussion on the quality of education, unions, corrupt governments, length of school year, useless curriculum, etc.
Back home, school is called of if there are more than 10 snow flakes predicted to fall. Oh God, my blood pressure just started to go up.

Peace out

Back home, school is called of if there are more than 10 snow flakes predicted to fall. Oh God, my blood pressure just started to go up.

I imagine it would be cancelled in Jamaica too if snow was predicted LOL:rolleyes: