Not entitled to school fees
I AM afraid that the Minister of Education, Angie Motshekga, did not objectively apply her mind to the issue relating to the contemplated payment of school fees for children registered with fee-paying schools amid the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
It is even unthinkable to begin to imagine some learners returning to school given the high level of uncertainty around the impact of Covid-19 and the effectiveness of the management measures.
Those fee-paying schools which have been proactive by initiating some online academic learning programmes are well within their rights to demand school fees.
Similarly, those fee-paying schools that never bothered to pro-actively initiate some online academic learning programmes have no reasonable grounds to demand school fees.
These schools must accept that they did not offer any online lessons and, therefore, expectation/demand for payment of school fees will be deemed unfair, unjust and unreasonable by parents.
The provincial Department of Education, in consultation with fee-paying schools, should find ways to cut the financial commitments for the year or secure some payment of services relief during this period or alternatively put measures in place to finance the financial commitments made by the fee-paying schools in line with their Covid-19 Academic Lessons Response Plans and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) demanding challenges.
It will be unfair and unjust for the fee-paying schools to enrich themselves at the expense of the children’s parents.
Payment of school fees is premised on contractual obligation for fee-paying schools to offer lessons to learners with the obligation of parents to pay for academic lessons in return.
Blatant and unjustified demand will be rejected by parents with the contempt it deserves. Those who pay school fees are opposed to potential undue enrichment by fee-paying schools that have not been proactive.
MOLOKE PETER LENTSWANE | SGB deputy chairperson, Laerskool Ivypark, Polokwane, Limpopo writing in his personal capacity