The GSD says that the taxpayer will end up paying for the “blundering approach” of the Government on schooling if they continue with their “last-minute" stated policy of refusing mandatory grants to some Gibraltarian pupils. 

A statement continued: “The fact that there are private schools means that there are hundreds of eligible students not going to Government schools. That saves the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds. Instead through confusion the Government may persuade dozens of families to enrol their children in Government schools which will cost the taxpayer. 

“If the Government is targeting specific “fraud” cases that it is aware of then they should do so. If as they say “genuine cases” of long-term residents including of “persons born in Gibraltar” have “nothing to worry about” then why have they excluded the children of resident taxpayers who on their own admission they consider have the right to a scholarship award and should have nothing to worry about. 

“On their own logic the eligibility to a mandatory award of those children should not be removed. Why have they therefore told them that they are only eligible for discretionary awards? What Government should do is crack down on any cases of lack of entitlement.”

Leader of the Opposition, Keith Azopardi said: “This is a desperate GSLP Government trying to justify the unjustifiable. They have so far handled this appallingly giving children unnecessary stress months before crucial exams. And now they are so desperate they are even suggesting the GSD condone fraud. The GSD have raised legitimate questions of an ill-thought through policy that will rebound on the taxpayer and can cost people much more. The Government should reconsider and not throw its toys out of the pram. 

“What they cannot do is create distinctions between groups of children that they accept are entitled just because of which school they are at. Do they not understand that in doing so and subjecting those children to discretionary awards they will cause so much doubt that some parents will consider it unacceptable to live under this shadow of doubt and enrol their children in Government schools? Inevitably this will massively increase the cost for the tax payer as a consequence.”