[stop-imf] St Kitts: DEBT SERVICING DOUBLES THAT SPENT ON EDUCATION SAYS THE IMF

[Robert Weissman]

*http://www.pamdemocrat.org/Newspaper/Details.cfm?Nz=3D30'!Q4HJ%3AA'NQ%3F%5=
B2GDXNPDIY55%40%20%2C%0A&Iz=3D%23(BDI%0A

St Kitts and Nevis Democrat
May 14, 2004

DEBT SERVICING DOUBLES THAT SPENT ON EDUCATION SAYS THE IMF*


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*By: */Dr. Charles Warner Shadow Minister: Health and Environment/

A number of critical indices are comng to the fore in relation to the
state of decay of this country. Two of the recent releases of the IMF
are that per capita National Debt is $45,000.00 and that debt servicing
to that spent an Education is at a 2:1 Ratio., i.e., for every dollar
spent to pay the debt only 50 cents is spent on Education. The Prime
Minister=92s statement in Old Road is now effectively Education me=85. In
all of this for many the iceberg ahead is really a low white cloud
easily penetrable.

PAM invested so much in Education that by 1995 when the present
government took office there was little to do in terms of building
schools at any level. The investment was comprehensive in that PAM
provided school meals, books and exam fees. In the early 1980 PAM paid
up to the UWI and opened the gate for students of this Federation to
enter UWI. Attention must also be drawn to the improvements in Nevis. As
a result the improvements in overseas exam results were remarkable. All
of this is now in jeopardy, the present trend is worrisome.

The IMF release explains the experience of schools such as the Sandy
Point Primary and why asbestos problems cannot be effectively and
scientifically dealth with. Stripping asbestos and hosing down rooms
will not do the job. The particles are washed onto the school grounds
and remains in the soil when the water evaporates. The children then
inhale the particles into their lungs.

It is about ten (10) years since Labour has been in power. While the
Prime Minister encourages the people of his constituency to vote in
other areas, he shows no urgency in setting up the high school that the
children of these voters need. Will the burdensome national debt be the
factor hindering the establishment of the high school in that region?

In the nation=92s high schools teachers are complaining about the
inadequacy of the instruments in the science labs. Even at the CFBC the
Science Labs are experiencing deficiencies. Amidst all of this the
government ministers want a 25% salary increase. Their greed will
naturally put more of a strain on the country=92s poor finances. While
less is spent on Education they want more in their pockets.

The private organizations that claim to be neutral and objective remain
silent in the face of such grave danger to Education. How will we
compete in the CSME environment when debt servicing doubles that spent
on Education? The members of the salary commission will do this country
a great disservice if they grant the 25% increase in light of the
present situation in Education. The members of the commission should
question the spending on Health Services compared to servicing the debt.

The future of Education in this country must, from now on, always be
taken in light of the fact that in May 2005, under the Labour
government, the amount of money spent on debt servicing doubled that
spent on providing education for the citizens of the Federation.