I REFER to reports about the concerns of parents regarding fees imposed by schools.

While the disparity in collection is a cause for concern, parents should realise that no school can function without funds.

Parents should understand that schools were provided with guidelines on what fees to collect in November.

Recent statements by higher authorities blaming principals and teachers for not adhering to directives discredit the lower rungs for their own mistakes.

No school headmaster or principal would dare impose fees without approval from their superiors.

In this case, whenever a new fee is introduced, the district and state education departments are informed and their approvals obtained to pursue the matter.

To be fair to the administrators of the schools, they are carrying out the duties as directed by the higher authorities.

It is not that principals and teachers misinterpreted the directive from higher authorities; it is just that the directives were not clear.

When it was announced that the school fees were to be abolished, the circular or statement should have been specific to the point.

Even principals and teachers were caught off-guard. What more parents?

As a teacher with 26 years of experience in primary and secondary schools, I assure parents that whatever collection done by schools is for the benefit of the children and no school authority can collect extra fees without approval from the state Education Department.

I’m a father of four school-going children and I forked out more than RM500 on school fees, excluding expenses for uniforms and school bags.

Like it or not, if you want quality education for your children, you have a price to pay.

You cannot expect everything to come in free packages. If you think it is a burden to pay for so many children, start family planning.

I urge parents and those in authority not to pass the buck to teachers over this school fee issue because we are acting on orders.

We sometimes have to implement orders without question even though we know something is not right.

To teachers, keep up the good work.

JAYARAJ K.G.S., Sitiawan

Source: NST – January 11, 2008