Following the Chief Minister's interview on GBC, the GSD have issued a statement calling for the Government to "clearly commit to the principle that all Gibraltar schools will remain within the scope of the same eligibility criteria for scholarship awards whatever anti-fraud mechanisms they adopt."

A statement from the GSD follows below:

The GSLP Government should clearly commit to the principle that all Gibraltar schools will remain within the scope of  the same eligibility criteria for scholarship awards whatever anti-fraud mechanisms they adopt. Additionally, they should unequivocally confirm that there will be no distinctions made between the access of resident children of  Gibraltarians and long-term residents to mandatory or discretionary scholarships based only on what school in  Gibraltar they attend 

The Chief Minister’s interview on television last night was just a painful 11 minutes of garble, waffle and contradictions  in terms. The backtracking is so pronounced that we are now asked to believe that the Government intended this all  along and everyone has misunderstood. Presumably the misunderstanding extended to the civil servants who  excluded children from the presentation on mandatory awards on Monday or informed children in writing that their  entitlement to mandatory awards had been revoked and to the head teacher who was aghast at the announcement  or even the Minister for Education who has been painfully quiet and whose department prepared new criteria in  writing in the student handbooks that excluded certain children. 

Mr Picardo has now said that “the discretionary process is simply the route for those who qualify to obtain a mandatory  grant.” That is such a ridiculous set of contradictions to throw anyone into a spin. If a scholarship is mandatory it means  you will get it. If it is discretionary it can only mean that you may get it but might not. Eligibility criteria compels the  State to give the student a scholarship if the criteria is met via the mandatory route but does not compel the State  even if you meet eligibility criteria if the route is discretionary. That is so basic that it is insulting to the electorate for  the Chief Minister to pretend otherwise. 

If it is true that all children are entitled in the same way the Government should give those previously excluded children  the courtesy of the presentation they were excluded from on Monday so that they are treated like everyone else. 

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “The reason for all these word games of the Chief Minister is simply because the GSLP he presides can never admit it gets things wrong; it’s always the GSD’s fault and he thinks he can  word-salad himself out of every situation. Time and again he treats us to this verbal nonsense. The public see through  it. If he really wants to allay concerns he should publish the criteria and make sure it applies equally to all students. Without equivocation or contradictions. Students and parents deserve better”