DailyMirror
The Education Ministry requested parents to immediately make complaints to the Ministry or the Bribery Commission regarding any type of unethical collection of money in schools.
Ministry Secretary Nimal Bandara told the Daily Mirror yesterday regarding several such incidents in some schools. He said no school had been permitted to collect money from students without following a certain procedure, which requires the approval from several authorities.
According to him, to collect money the school authorities must first obtain the approval of the school development society. Thereafter they should request the approval of the Provincial Director.
“Unless the approval of all these parties is not obtained, the school authorities cannot collect money from the students,” said Mr. Bandara adding that such monies must be credited to the school development fund.
Meanwhile, Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said some schools were collecting money from students without heeding the regulations issued by the Education Ministry.
“Large sums of money are being collected from students for causes such as farewell ceremonies of teachers. This is a violation of administrative regulations as well as the rules laid out by the Education Ministry,” said Mr. Stalin.
He said of Rs. 10,000 has been collected in a girls’ school in Kandy for a New Year fair and that another girls’ school in Mount Lavinia had collected Rs. 3000 from each class for a farewell ceremony of a retiring teacher.
“Also, during school admissions, mostly for Grade One, most of the parents have been asked to pay large sums of money to schools apart from the facility fees (service charge),” he pointed out.
“This country takes pride in free education. How can a free education prevail in the country amidst collections of money in this manner?” he questioned. He also urged the authorities to take measures to ensure that free education is preserved and also requested the authorities to conduct audits and reveal the utilization of money in similar incidents.