Education Ministry sets maximum limit for school registration fees

Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 July 2016, 17:39 by Denis Chabrol

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday declared that no child must be denied registration because their parents or guardians could not afford to pay, while at the same announced a maximum limit for registration fees to be spent o n non-budgetary goods and services.

The ministry expressed concern that some School Administrators have been requesting significant sums of money for the registration of new students to Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools under the pretext that such sums were previously agreed upon by the Parent Teachers Association.

The Ministry has given great consideration to the needs of schools and wish to provide the following guidelines for Non-Budgetary Costs.

1. No students shall be denied Registration to any school due to their inability to pay; children have a right to schooling and must be registered.

2. The Parent Teachers Association for each school has been authorized to conduct fundraising activities to support school administration to offset non-budgetary costs. (Badges, PTA dues, Report Booklets, Miscellaneous).  Such activities must be promoted to strengthen the partnership between schools and the community.

3. If the activities planned  and executed by the Parent Teachers Association do not generate the income to offset non-budgetary costs, then the following guidelines should be followed:
4. a)For All Nursery Schools – not more than $2,500.00/year
5. b)For All Primary Schools – not more than $3,000.00/year
6. c)For Secondary Schools – not more than $5,000.00/year
7. d)For National Secondary Schools – not more than $8,000.00/year

(Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High, St. Stanislaus College, St. Rose’s and St. Joseph)

These sums were carefully considered for all non-budgetary costs as such no additional request must be made from parents. There must be no compulsion for students to purchase Physical Education clothes, aprons for Home Economics, Lab Coats, Tie-pin inter alia; from the school. Parents of nursery children should not be issued with any list of supplies to be purchased.