I am afraid that the Minister of Education, Honourable Angie Motshekga, did not objectively apply her mind to the issue relating to the contemplated payment of school fees for children registered with fee-paying schools amid the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s even unthinkable to begin to imagine some learners returning to schools, given the high levels of uncertainty around Covid-19, its potential significant impact on the lives of many South Africans and the effectiveness of the management measures.
Those fee-paying schools which have been proactive by initiating some online academic learning programmes are well within their rights to demand school fees.
But those fee-paying schools which never bothered to proactively initiate some online academic learning programmes have no reasonable grounds to demand school fees from parents.
These schools must accept that they did not offer any online lessons (service) and, therefore, expectations/demands for payment of school fees will be deemed unfair, unjust and unreasonable by children’s parents.
Challenging times require extraordinary measures, and pleading poverty for the shameful failure to put in some efforts to be proactive should not be considered a persuasive excuse in this ever-changing, dynamic world.
Needless to highlight that even some pre-schools made some considerable efforts to initiate online academic learning activities for the children.
The provincial departments of education, in consultation with fee-paying schools, should find ways to cut the financial commitments for the year or secure some payment of services relief during this Covid-19 period.
Alternatively, it should put measures in place to finance the financial commitments made by the fee-paying schools in line with their Covid-19 Academic Lessons Response Plans and Fourth Industrial Revolution demanding challenges.
It will be unfair and unjust for the fee-paying schools to enrich themselves at the expense of the children’s parents as much as the taxi operators also cannot expect monthly transport fees for children they have never transported.
Parents will not take any unreasonable demands for payment of school fees lightly, but where reasonable demand for payment of school fees is made, parents will have no qualms in paying school fees.
Covid-19 financially has impacted fee-paying schools, children and their parents.
Payment of school fees is premised on contractual obligation for fee-paying schools to offer lessons to learners, with the obligation of parents to pay for academic lessons in return.
Blatant and unjustified demand will be rejected by parents with all the contempt it deserves.
We who pay school fees are vehemently opposed to potential undue enrichment by fee-paying schools which have not been proactive in initiating online academic lessons, but demand school fees payment.
Moloke Peter Lentswan
Polokwane
* The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.