Minister says UBP promise was `desperate move to stay in power' By Cathy Stovell The UBP's promise of free college tuition to public school students who have a good attendance record will not be honoured by the PLP Government.

Education Minister Milton Scott said he could not recall the idea when questioned by The Royal Gazette yesterday. But he was adamant that the present Government had no intention of footing tuition at the Bermuda College for graduating seniors from CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley Institute.

The scheme was announced last June by then United Bermuda Party Education Minister Tim Smith and was instituted in an effort to help curb absenteeism.

Mr. Smith had promised that Government would pay full tuition at the College for all senior public school students who maintained a 95 percent attendance record.

In order to benefit from the offer, students also had to have an overall "B'' average or above, and agree to be drug tested.

While Mr. Smith had said students could access the reward in September, this was in practicality, impossible, as the school year had less than a month left after the announcement. No one benefited.

Mr. Smith could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But Mr. Scott held that the promise was not made by the Progressive Labour Party Government.

"I will not be held responsible for their half-cocked election promises,'' he said. "It must have been one of their desperate moves to try to stay in power. Were they really that desperate?'' "The people of Bermuda already heavily subsidise the Bermuda College.

Taxpayers fund the College to the tune of some $8.7 million,'' he pointed out, "and the evening courses are subsidised as well.

"I think the people of this country already make a significant contribution to the Bermuda College.'' Mr. Scott also noted that the annual full-time tuition cost at the College is very low when compared to comparable institutions elsewhere in the world.

"The subsidies enable the tuition costs to be in the region of $2,400. A bargain price to pay for college education anywhere in the world,'' he said.

"Perhaps the broader issue that needs to be addressed here is the need to get parents into a planned savings programme for their children's education.'' "We need to get the message across that the earlier this programme begins the better,'' he stressed. "Parents should be addressing it from day one.'' See also Editorial, Page 4 EDUCATION ED