Over the years, the Ministry's allocation to the different levels of the system has been consistent with its objective to increase its support to the lower levels as it is crucial to develop a solid educational foundation. The introduction of the Cost Sharing Scheme at the secondary level has made more funds available to this level of the system. Prior to the introduction of the scheme, less funds were available to these schools for their daily operations which include the provision of instructional materials. Of the subvention provided by the Ministry, approximately 95 percent went to salaries and related expenses and of the remaining 5 percent, only about one and half per cent was slated for instructional materials and the rest for the other operational areas. The scheme has resulted in a significant increase in the amount of money available to the schools for the provision of instructional materials and equipment.
Parental contribution is an essential part of the financing of education.
Bearing in mind the difficulty that some parents would experience in contributing to the economic cost of their children's education, the Education Ministry established a welfare programme to assist needy students with these fees. Through the Guidance Counsellors or other qualified persons at the schools, students are identified through an assessment process and requests submitted on their behalf for assistance with a portion, or the full fees, as is deemed necessary. In this way, the Ministry seeks to ensure that no child is denied an education because of financial hardship. The programme has been enjoying approximately 85 percent compliance rate. Another initiative, the Income Generating Project started in 1993, is a revolving loan scheme which is geared towards helping schools to develop and implement projects to generate additional income.