surprised by Government's plan to delay school restructuring.

She was responding to Education Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons' announcement that changes to the public school system will not begin until 1996. Reforms were originally scheduled to begin in 1991 and be completed in 1995.

Mr. Simons attributed the delay to the realisation that previous plans would have required closing some schools for up to two years.

But Ms Smith noted that "prior to the 1989 election Government held a similar press conference''.

She said at that time it "assured the public that everything would be in place by 1995''.

"Now in this year, prior to an election, Government says this will be done in the next century.

"Certainly this has to cause concern to parents who have been raising concerns about this in the past,'' she said. "When the middle school plans were delayed last August, parents asked whether the plans will really happen and the Minister assured them that they will.

"Parents recognised that it was a massive undertaking. Yet only at the end of 1992 Government realised this? "This says a great deal about their lack of understanding of this project.'' Ms Smith said she had yet to see the plans that Mr. Simons said would have forced Sandys Secondary and Warwick Secondary to be closed for two years.

"We are being fed bits of information at opportune times,'' she said.

Concerning Mr. Simons' assurance that existing secondary schools will offer "broadly comparable programmes'' for student entering them in September, Ms Smith said: "They have this now. This is not good enough''.

"Equal schools have been the basic underlying concern of parents all these years. That is one of the main reasons for reform. If that is not going to be accomplished, we are right back where we started.'' Ms Smith said the inequalities among schools caused them to be labelled and forced parents to send their children to private schools or to buy homes in certain locations.

The only way to ensure students had access to equal education was to have all schools with the same standards and opportunities.

Ms Smith was also concerned about the $100 million Government has promised for education reforms.

"One is glad to hear this,'' she said. "But they set aside $14 million (for upgrading schools) last year and only $1 million was spent.'' Ms Smith also questioned how Government arrived at the $100 million figure when Mr. Simons said the detailed costing for renovations and repairs to middle schools had not yet been done.

"I'm particularly concerned that the much needed renovations at the Berkeley Institute will be left to the end (of the new restructuring schedule),'' she added.

Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox, yesterday in response to the Budget Speech, said the Progressive Labour Party "deplores the fact that Government continues to overlook the needs of the student population''. See Page 4 for the full text of his speech.

Noting a Government survey last year showed people were prepared to pay more taxes to have education improvements immediately, Mr. Cox questioned whether the Education Ministry would be better served by applying the money to be allocated for Government's sinking fund towards current needs.

Mr. Cox said the 1993/94 education budget that provides $3 million for education projects was "too little, too late''.

During yesterday's Budget debate Mr. Simons said Government had never intended introducing the education overhaul at one go.

"We have always recognised changes will be phased in. We are on track. It is only the start date of changes that have been altered.'' Mr. Simons said the delay to restructuring had been caused by economic constraints.

Government had to be able to finance borrowing. With two major projects underway, the prison and the incinerator, funds were limited.