Despite some rumors to the contrary and the fact that they are facing hardships brought on by the current lockdown meant to stop the spread of Covid-19, parents will have to pay school fees for the children when schools reopen. This is according to remarks attributed to Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema in the Sunday News.
What parents will pay and when they will pay is going to be addressed in due course.
These are details that we are going to work out with parents too, they have a right to make suggestions on what we should do, no one person or institution has an answer, we have to all come out with a solution that satisfies everybody.
At the end of the day, the system must be sustainable, we do not want solutions that will make people believe all is in order when it is not.
The education system cannot exist without money, so all of us have to contribute, the State, parents and guardians all have to contribute and our partners in education too.
Hon Mathema on the issue of school fees
The government is being forced to play a tight rope walking game here. Schools have been hard hit by the lockdown too especially private schools that have to pay teachers from their own coffers. Giving parents an amnesty might spell disaster for some institutions. On the other hand, parents are struggling to feed their families and would be hard-pressed to find school fees. A combination of inflation, Covid-19 lockdown and its related effects leave the government in an unenviable position.
