From Ministry of Education, Training & Employment Cayman Islands Government

Notes on Examination Fees for Government Schools

• No student is excluded from taking examinations because of their inability to pay in advance.
• All internal examinations and tests in our government schools are free to all students.
• Caymanian students pay no school fees; non-Caymanian students are assessed very low fees, as provided in law, based on the stage of education.
• No students pay book fees at this time, but students may be asked to contribute to practical fees for certain subjects such as Technology, Home Economics and similar courses.
• Students are required to pay the costs for external examination fees.  For the convenience of students and parents, these fees are collected by the school but are paid to the external examination board, for example, CXC (the Caribbean Examinations Council).
• The Department of Education Services and the Ministry of Education are very sensitive to the economic pressures faced by families and a number of steps have been taken to help make the costs of external examinations more manageable.
  • Schools are working to send out payment notices well in advance so that parents can budget accordingly.
  • Payment plans are available for parents who find it difficult to pay the full amount in one installment.
  • For cases in which parents are genuinely unable to pay fees, the Department of Children and Family Services has provided support through their programmes.
• Students are not restricted from taking examinations, even if the fees have not been paid.  However, they cannot collect their certificates or be issued transcripts of external examination results until these debts have been cleared.
• It should be noted that the total current annual cost for external examinations for our students is in the region of $250,000, reflecting the dramatic increase in recent years of students who are sitting and passing internationally recognized and accredited qualifications.