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MANZINI- Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education and Training says parents are allowed to make arrangements with schools on school fees payment.
When reached for comment, PS Bheki Gama said parents should first negotiate with the school on payment terms. He said they were even open to payments on a monthly basis, as long as the fees were paid. PS Gama said it was when the parent had failed to honour the agreement, that then they were expected to be reported to the ministry, who would then take them to task.
Situation
“We are not against parents paying on a monthly basis, power trip,” Dlamini quipped. which is okay. As long as they
When queried on alternative means honour their arrangement with for schools to generate fees, he said; the school,” Gama said.
“Given the scale of resources that He further mentioned that parents are required, I do not think there are who could not afford to pay alternative means for schools to raise school fees were allowed to register finances. This one is squarely on the their children for the OVC shoulders of the government, because grants. He said parents should first of all, it is the one that has allowed come out clear and state that school fees to escalate to unaffordable they could not afford to pay and levels, beyond the means of the majority then the Social Welfare would of emaSwati, even those who assess the situation. go to work.”
He elaborated that they were supposed in fact, they are not. I mean, why to control the rise in school fees would you prosecute someone who and to ensure that the escalation of such earns E2 000 for school fees worth fees was in tandem with salaries of the E14 000, when you know very well majority of workers. that the E2 000 should cater for bus
However, Dlamini was of the view fare, food and rent? They are just that government allowed this to go wasting our time. beyond its control because it could ‘‘Government must come up with a not govern. clear plan instead of fooling around
He said as a result of the challenge, and wasting our time with something government wanted to take a long that they know will not succeed,”
when route of prosecuting people in court. said Dlamini. He reiterated that a
“I think the government is simply majority of parents who could afford trying to pretend to the general public the school fees had transferred their that they are doing something children to private schools.