Dear Sir,

In last Thursday’s edition of The Royal Gazette, I note the comments of the new education minister, Diallo Rabain, regarding the lack of funding for public schools maintenance:

“It is unfortunate that the previous government did not allocate the funding needed to address these issues when they were identified in June.

“As a result it was not until July 25, some six weeks after the school was closed, that at this new government’s first Cabinet meeting, the funding was approved to get Dellwood Middle School safe for the upcoming school year.”

It was brought to my attention that the current budget statement of 2017-18 does in fact allocate school maintenance funding.

The finance minister at the time, Bob Richards, stated: “The capital expenditure component of the 2017-18 Budget is set at $67.5 million, $19.5 million lower than the 2016-17 original estimate. The most significant items of capital development expenditure in the 2017-18 Budget relate to schools maintenance [$3.2 million] and road works [$3.5 million].”

I, and others, would like to know why Mr Rabain claimed that government allocation of maintenance funding did not exist when there already was an allocation in the current capital expenditure budget for $3.2 million, which, by all indications, had not been used.

Clarification would be most appreciated.

BEVERLEY CONNELL