We repeatedly say that education is free in Barbados. Truth is, while it is free to those who benefit from it, it comes at a cost. The Government, by way of taxes paid by citizens and other resources, foots the over $300 million bill annually.According to the Financial and Budgetary Expenditure 2021, Government approved $318 million to be spent on education. In a year where our health care bill has skyrocketed due to the intense battle against COVID-19, that $318 million is a large part of a decreasing pie.We, like many Barbadians who voiced their opinion, were taken aback when the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) president Pedro Shepherd revealed that early in the school term, several devices that were to be handed to new students were returned unusable, resulting in some being forced to do without in the initial days of the new school year.The report of October 6, carried in Barbados TODAY stated that dozens of technological devices loaned to students over the last academic year had been returned either damaged or destroyed, and despite parents signing agreements to cover the cost of repairs or replacement, many of them are apparently unable to foot the bill.
