Governors urge States to ringfence £2.2m grants

School governors in Guernsey have called on the States to keep £2.2m a year within the education budget if a proposed philanthropic gift to Elizabeth College and The Ladies' College goes ahead.

The donation, announced by the private colleges, would allow them to give up their annual States grant worth about £2.2m, the schools have said.

The colleges said the funding could also support bursaries, sport, creative arts projects and the development of an island-wide AI and Innovation Hub.

The chairs of governance boards representing States-maintained and voluntary schools said they welcomed the proposal and its potential benefits for young people across Guernsey.

However, they want assurances that the public money released by the move will be reinvested in education rather than used for wider government savings.

In a letter to the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, the governors said: "We are not asking for new money. We are asking that money already committed to educating Guernsey's children continues to be spent on educating Guernsey's children."

The group argued that schools were under increasing pressure from rising numbers of pupils needing additional support, recruitment and retention challenges, and ageing buildings.

They are seeking a commitment that the full £2.2m remains in education, alongside a clear reinvestment plan developed with governance boards and annual public reporting on how the money is spent.

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