Public schools registration fee not compulsory – Ministry

… no mandatory supplies needed for nursery school

The Education Ministry has announced that no student should be denied registration to public schools because of parents’ inability to pay registration fees.

This announcement comes on the heels of parents’ outcry about the high registration fees requested by school administrators.
The Ministry said that some schools have been requesting these monies under the pretext that fees were previously agreed upon by the Parent Teachers Association (PTA).
However, it said having given consideration to the needs of the schools, several guidelines were issued. Among them is the authorisation of the Parent Teachers Association for each school to conduct fundraising exercises to help support school administrations offset non-budgetary costs.
“If the activities planned  and executed by the PTA do not generate the income to offset non-budgetary costs, then no more than $2500 should be requested from nursery schools, $3000 from primary schools, $5000 from secondary schools and $8000 from national secondary schools,” the Ministry said.
It reiterated that no student shall be denied registration to any school due to the inability of the family to pay the registration fee, noting that children have a right to schooling and must be registered.
Meanwhile, the Ministry made it clear that there must be no compulsion for students to purchase physical exercise clothes, aprons for home economics, lab coats, tie pin, etc from the school.
It also made it clear that parents of nursery school children should not be issued with any list of supplies to be purchased.