AS VOLUNTEERS who assist needy families, we can identify with the hardship experienced by low-income earners caused by the schools’ imposition of additional fees.

The Education Ministry has stated that parents who can afford the additional fees should not ask to be exempted, as the said fees would be used to improve the schools’ infrastructure, teaching facilities and services.

We beg to differ and believe that the imposition of additional fees are not motivated by charitable objectives.

We speak without vested interests when we state that these extra fees are unjustly enriching certain parties, be they principals, cooperatives or suppliers.

Among the additional fees charged by schools in Setapak and Wangsa Maju are:

RM18 for school track pants and RM12 for T-shirts to be used in sports events and physical education. Such outrageous prices for child-sized sports outfits raised our suspicion that crony businesses and the school cooperatives are reaping huge profits. In contrast, track pants in the approved school colours bought from hypermarkets cost RM6 or less;

RM20 charged at the start of the school year for the school’s award day and end-of-year party. This sum is exorbitant, as it is on top of the RM30- RM50 charged as PTA contribution. The children we work with are already marginalised and at an academic disadvantage.

RM3.50 charged for the Student’s Etiquette Handbook, RM2.80 for the School Rules Handbook, RM2.50 for the report card and RM3.50 for the Student’s Personal Folder are among the other unnecessary expenses that waste paper. Pocket-sized booklets should not cost more than RM1. Alternatively, the school rules could be painted onto the walls as a mural, read out during assembly to serve as a reminder or incorporated into the back of exercise books or the report card.

RM8 for tie and RM6 for a pair of socks. We believe that as long as a student wears the uniform approved by the ministry, there is no need for special “school socks” and other accessories. Students who are not holding any special office (prefects, school librarians, class monitors) should not be required to wear a necktie.

RM8 for Moral Studies/Islamic Studies. No reasons were given for this charge.

We have written letters to the respective principals for a waiver of the fees on behalf of these children, but they have not responded.

Not all parents were able to meet the school heads themselves, because some may be functionally illiterate, unable to communicate fluently in Bahasa Malaysia or English, ill, victims of domestic violence or more commonly working at jobs that do not allow them to take leave.

In those circumstances, some of the older children were encouraged to inform their class teachers of their family circumstances.

The children invariably reported to us that the class teacher said that they must pay up and no exemptions would be allowed.

BERNADETTE CHIN and WONG EE LYNN,

Kuala Lumpur.

Source: The Star – January 12, 2008