The Ministry for Education says the fee-free tuition for pre-schools that started in the current school term will only be for recognised and accredited pre-schools.

The initiative was announced by Minister Mahendra Reddy late last year, although it has now been found that some pre-schools have been charging school fees this year.

Director of Primary Education Kolinio Takali clarified for the sake of concerned parents that free pre-school only applied to five-year-olds while those four years and below will need to pay their fees.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Education acting Permanent Secretary Kelera Taloga said the free milk supply to all schools was progressing well.

“According to a meeting with the CJ Patel and Company they still have more milk containers in stock for the supply,” she said.

Ms Taloga said many islands and rural schools have supplies that are expected to last until December.

Ms Taloga said many schools had been supplied with milk and Weet-Bix for the rest of the school term.

“Our main focus is on the milk, while Weet-Bix is just an extra we give to the kids,” she said.

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