By Bida Elly David
The Deputy Minister of General Education and Instructions has warned that it will take tough measures against private institutions of learning who impose high tuition fees to learners without their consent.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, Martin Tako, the deputy minister of General Education said reports indicate that private secondary and primary schools over charge learners with school fees.
He said that most of these schools have disregarded the use of the government’s policy concerning the rate of fees to be paid by learners enrolled to private institutions.
The Deputy Minister said that majority of parents in South Sudan are less income earners who battle to ensure proper education, medication and feeding to their children are met. He argued that imposing high fees would affect the adversely.
Tako stated that the Ministry of General Education had proposed that the maximum sum for school fees for learners in private schools is at the rate of SSP 80,000 exactly.
“Despite knowing the government’s fixed rate for the tuition, private schools continue to hike the rate of the fees in contradiction to what has been sealed,” he charged.
Martin also criticized some parents and state education ministries over retracting the decision of the national ministry for easing fees rates into an affordable level.
“The state ministries did not cooperate with us. Some parents are even the ones making things hard by saying that they want their children to learn in good schools,” Tako noted.
He said that several meetings between the government and school directors have been held but they (school directors) complained about heavy tariffs being imposed on them by the institutions.
Tako said that they have received criticism from people who claimed that the ministry dictated against labor laws which were not their jurisdiction.
“We are very much criticized. We met with the owners of the private schools and we had an agreement, but when we fixed the fees, they opposed it. They said we are not the Central system of government in the Country,” he protested.
Deputy Minister Martin however stressed that the private schools will not escape from facing consequences for their defiance this time.
“School fee regulation is the prerogative of the ministry as per the policy permitted. The aim of the ministry is to work for welfare of all learners across the Country whether being poor or rich,” he reiterated.