Known as the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), Ministers’ plans will be debated by the States this week. They say Education is getting an extra £10.2million, but the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel claims that’s incorrect, and brands the spending as being “less than needed and late.” Their report concludes that there is actually a deficit in the education budget of £2.8million.
It also says education in Jersey “needs a larger pot of money to provide the best for our children.”
The scrutiny panel’s report has been published on the day that States members are due to begin discussing Ministers’ plans, and follows highly critical reports from two other scrutiny panels which came out at the end of last week.
The education report says: “Discounting demographics and taking into account the savings, there is no overall investment in education in Jersey.
“The investment that has been provided, is less than needed and late. This MTFP does not reflect a cohesive long-term vision being worked towards. The Minister is simply managing what we have with the funds available.”
It says: “The Panel has recognised that any amendments that the Panel might have brought to the MTFP would be no more than ‘tinkering around the edges’ and would not deal with the fundamental problem. Education in Jersey needs a larger pot of money to provide the best for our children.
“It is quite clear that education is for life, not the life of the MTFP, and therefore there should be genuine, clear investment.”
