Opposition Deputy Leader, Chester Cooper, has questions for the government on tuition at The Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute.

In a statement yesterday, Mr. Cooper said he received numerous reports accompanied with receipts of Bahamians being charged tuition fees at BTVI.

  In his budget communication, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis stated that tuition at BTVI would be free this coming September to all who meet the requirements. 

However, the requirements for this free tuition have yet to be announced.

The Exuma and Ragged Island MP said  surely, the  Prime Minister and Minister of Education are not referring to the “Be Your Own Boss” scholarship announced Tuesday.

The  scholarship, which Mr. Cooper said apparently begins after BTVI’s enrollment, caps the number of recipients at 1,000 and requires 85 per cent of the scholarships to go people 18-25 years old. 

The  Be  Your  Own  Boss scholarship also stipulates that those over 25 will be considered on a “case by case basis.” 

Once the 1,000-person limit is met, BTVI said, those who did not receive the scholarship “should apply for the next academic year.” 

Mr. Cooper  added that if the scholarship announced, is intended to fulfill the promise of the Minnis administration regarding BTVI, it is a gross betrayal of the Bahamian people.

He said it is also discriminatory and flies in the face of the stated purpose of empowering more Bahamians and increasing enrollment at BTVI. 

While many await clarification on their “free tuition,” Mr. Cooper is calling on the Minnis administration to come clean to the Bahamian people.