Phillips urges public, diaspora to be prepared to help fund education

Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips says the public and the diapora must prepare to start playing a greater role in funding education.

Dr Phillips says despite efforts to improve Jamaica's education system, many students continue to struggle due to limited social mobility and the absence of critical social capital.

Speaking at the 7th Annual Award Ceremony and Luncheon of the Peace and Love Academic Scholarship Incorporated (PALAS) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel yesterday, Dr Phillips said the society must organise itself to support schools and to protect families.

He says civil society must offer more to students who are enduring a traumatic experience of mapping a path through a flawed education process. 

The Opposition leader acknowledged that many educators have pushed forward and enabled the advancement of young people from various backgrounds, but education continues to be a developmental challenge for many.

He says old students' associations and churches have a role to play in the development of education.

Dr Phillips congratulated PALAS for awarding scholarships to some 108 students attending high schools and universities across the island.

The PALAS Inc. is a non-profit organisation that has offered bursaries to some 408 applicants from 88 schools, valued some 32 million dollars over the past seven years.