The Ministry of Education and St. John’s College are at odds tonight because the school reportedly isn’t accepting letters of educational assistance from the Ministry. The letters are given to students as a commitment that the Ministry will cover tuition, fees or book charges. For high schoolers, they are for three to four-hundred dollars, one thousand dollars for sixth formers and anywhere between that for students at St. John’s Extension.
And while the letters aren’t legal tender, for the Ministry they are as good as that, a signed commitment to pay. But, it seems SJC isn’t convinced. We’re received reports that the school is not accepting the letters, telling students that they have to pay in cash. The school’s accountant told us that is a misinterpretation. He says the school has cash flow problems and has to get 50% of the payments in cash, but they are willing to work with special cases, and they are accepting commitments from the Ministry.
But Education Minister Patrick Faber told us that SJC is turning away students with their assistance letters and the school is treating those letters as worthless. Faber said it is regrettable considering that his Ministry pays seventy percent of all teachers’ salaries and sixty dollars a month towards each student’s tuition, which is more than twice what other schools get. Faber said he has been unable to communicate with school President Frank Garbutt.
