Forced school donations spark outcry

At least 70 students were expelled after their parents failed to pay ‘donations’

Palestinians have expressed outrage after the principal of Betonia’s Basic School in Ramallah expelled 70 students last week whose parents had failed to pay “donations” requested by the Palestinian Education Ministry.

Parents were asked to pay 50 shekels per pupil ($13.50; Dh49.58), which is reduced to 10 shekels if the student has siblings within the public school system.

A video depicting a child crying after the principal dismissed him went viral last week sparking a public outcry.

Ministry intervention

It was only after the outcry that the Education Ministry ordered the principal to allow the pupils to attend school and launched an investigation into his “illegal” actions.

Palestinians say that the dismissal of the students was an “unacceptable humiliation”.

The father of the student had begged the school manager for more time to arrange payment before expelling his son.

Basem Erekat, who heads the Educational Zone in Ramallah and Al Beirah, distanced the Education Ministry from the principal’s actions claiming he had acted on his own.

According to the Palestinian Basic Law, students are entitled to free education.

Fareed Al Atrash, heads the Palestinian who Independent Commission for Human Rights, insists that financial contributions are not compulsory and there was no law to force families to make the payments.

He told Gulf News that the students’ parents were entitled to sue the school principal in court and through the Palestinian Education Ministry.

Palestinian Judge Ahmad Al Ashqar asserted on his Facebook account that education in Palestine was free until after secondary education level under the Child Law and the Palestinian Basic Law, which prohibited any fee demands on students.

“There is no legal base for the financial contribution the Palestinian Education Ministry applies,” he said.