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PSS asked to tap funds for Headstart
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Posted on Apr 28 1999
Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said yesterday he would like to see the Headstart program continued as he tasked the Public School System to thoroughly review its other plans in order to raise money for the project.
Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider has raised the alarm bell for possible suspension of the education program for kindergartens due to funding problem.
Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos has likewise warned the deferment of the Headstart program even if PSS officials and members of the Board of Education would oppose such plan. She has instructed public schools to begin student registration except for kindergartens.
Inos is also considering the reassignment of 18 certified teachers handling kindergarten classes to augment the teaching pool in the primary level if the Headstart project is suspended. These teachers would fill in positions in the lower grade left vacant due to the tight financial situation of the public education sector
The governor said he has prodded the public education sector to review all the programs of the PSS to identify possible funding to continue the Headstart project, which benefits children mostly from low-income families.
“We would like to see this program continued and provide the best possible education to the community. The board is looking into that and they will make the final decision,” Tenorio said.
However, the CNMI leader declined to commit whether he would tap money from other sources to come up with appropriation for the kindergarten program. “Unfortunately our resources continue to drop. We can’t predict at this time how much money we have so we could reprogram funds for education and other departments.”
Under the NMI Constitution, the island government should provide free education to children aged six to 16 years old, but the continuing plunge in revenue collections due to slumping economy is threatening to imperil several government projects.
