IT WILL cost taxpayers $900 million to fund the free-tuition commitment made by Bruce Golding and his governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Tuition-free education at the secondary level was one of the platforms on which the JLP successfully campaigned in the recent general election.

At a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that approximately half of the money has already been paid over to the schools in the form of tuition fees.

A mechanism, he said, is being worked out to refund persons who had already paid school fees.

Mr. Golding said that by next Monday Jamaica will know where the money will come from to give the schools and also a mechanism and time-table for the payment of refunds.

"By then the Ministry of Education would have its consultations with the Ministry of Finance," Mr. Golding said.

$450m in refunds

He said that based on information from Education Minister, Andrew Holness, it would appear that government will pay about $450 million to schools and another $450 million in refunds.