Gadsby-Dolly challenges Dowlath as parents report book grants still unpaid

Gadsby-Dolly challenges Dowlath as parents report approved book grants still unpaid Former Education Minister and St Ann’s East MP Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly is challenging Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath after some parents reported that they were still awaiting their approved School Supplies and Book Grant payments on September 21. In a video posted Monday evening, Gadsby-Dolly said she was continuing to receive messages from parents who claimed they had been approved for the grant but had not yet received their money. “Minister of Education, it is close of day on September the 21st, 2026, and I am still receiving messages like these,” Gadsby-Dolly said. She reminded Dowlath of his previous assurance that all approved applicants were expected to receive their book grants by September 21. Gadsby-Dolly displayed a message purportedly from a parent who said she had not received her grant despite being approved. The former Education Minister criticised the Government over the situation and questioned how many approved applicants remained without payment. She suggested there could be hundreds or even thousands still waiting, although no official figure was provided to support that estimate. Gadsby-Dolly said more than 45,000 parents had applied for the programme, while just over 20,000 applications were approved. As of Monday evening, the messages highlighted by Gadsby-Dolly show individual reports of outstanding payments but do not establish how many approved applicants remain unpaid nationally. An updated figure from the Ministry of Education would be needed to determine how many approved grants, if any, remained outstanding following the September 21 deadline.