Learners Withdrawn From School Over Fees
Parents and or guardians of learners at Welton Group of Schools in Beitbridge have withdrawn their kids from the private learning institution after they disagreed on a new fee structure.
The school is charging R3 000 in tuition fees, US$80 food, and US$25 for personal protective equipment and is also demanding another R2 000 in operation fees for term two.
The latest demand did not auger well with parents who want the meals allowances scrapped and are also against the payment of term two fees.
Schools were warned by the government against demanding second term fees since there is no term two on the 2020 school calendar after schools were closed due to the coronavirus.
A parent who spoke to Chronicle on condition of anonymity said all parents had resolved to withdraw their children after efforts to reach an agreement with the school director (Mr Moyo) had yielded no results.
The parents have also jointly written to school authorities requesting a full explanation of the fees for the second term. Reads the letter in part.
We believe that school fees are charged per term after having considered all the running expenses that apply to the school term in question.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, everyone across the world was affected and most of the parents were not working due to the lockdown.
You have been running the school for the past years and we believe the so-called operational costs were being included in the breakdown of school fees.
In that regard, we further request that you be frank with us as your clients and give us a budget for term 3 fees adding up to the figures you want parents to pay as fees.
Meanwhile, a team to engage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has already been set up to resolve the impasse.
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