THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE PRESENT situation with school fees is at best chaotic. There are school fees, reduced school fees, frozen school fees, school fees dressed up as PTA contribution, school fees pretending to be development fund, school fees hiding behind registration fees, laboratory fees, protection and security fees; and the a.k.a list goes on and on.
Parents and guardians (zealous for their children's education) are at the mercy of school principals who are given carte blanche in gouging funds form them under various guises. The problem is school fees by any other name are still school fees.
The Ministry of Education in the absence of a clear-cut policy and not nearly enough allocation of funds, (despite education tax) seems to be enjoying this while they remain derelict in the execution of their own responsibility.
One is reminded of the Bible story of the sower who when he went to sow seeds, some fell on rocks, some fell on good soil and some among thorns and thickets -oh how we know the story well; que sera, sera - what will be will be. That seems to be the language of the authorities.
There needs to be set, one clearly known, and unmistakable school fee for secondary schools across the board. The schools must not be asked to carry out fund-raising, but left to perform their mandate of educating students for life.
POLITICAL FOOTBALL
Primary funding is the purview of the Government. Despite many political promises of "freeing up" education an expensive chaos remains. The treatment of education as a political football must cease!
The Government must find innovative methods to fund its mandate for education. It cannot wait for generous donations to be put into its ever outstretched hands, nor should it wantonly pry dwindling hard earned cash out of the pockets of willing but impoverished parents.
I am, etc.,
VERNON B. WILLIE
jevern@yahoo.co.uk
St. Catherine
