By William Madouk
Although government of South Sudan rolled out free and compulsory education at primary and secondary levels at public schools, parents still deep hands into their pockets to pay some cash.
This act jumbles the mind of many, why they still part with money when schools are supposed to be totally free as per the presidential order and national ministry of General Education instructions.
Elucidating upon this, according to the director of Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) at Supiri, Mr. Daniel Samson Mori, what parents are paying now is not school fees but rather parents’ contributions.
“We don’t call it school fees but a contribution fund within the government school, at the first time it was ssp45000,” said Mori.
“When private schools saw that teachers are coming back to government schools, they increase their money and parents also conduct their meeting and increased parents’ contribution to SSP80000,” he added.
Mori noted that PTA decided on the matter because a good number of teachers were seen migrating to private schools in search for greener pastures leaving learners at public at mercy of God.
“As parents they would like to help teachers in school were their children are studying,” he remarked.
According to him, the parents’ contribution funds enable schools to fill drums of waters, pay for volunteer teachers among other school necessities.
“But it is not by force! anyone who can bring SSP30000 can be received; SSP20000 or SSP50000 it can be received, if it is all SSP80000 it’s okay, according to the situation and those who don’t have totally are not threaten to be chase away – they continue with their studies,” Mori stressed.
Mr. Mori SSP80000 is a yearly contribution funds meant for those at secondary schools meanwhile, primary charge SSP35000 or less but based on the PTA’ agreed amount of money.
He cited that at the beginning the idea was resisted by the Central Equatoria State government, forcing teachers and PTA to conduct a meeting with the first undersecretary at national ministry of General Education over the matter.
“Ya Daniel he [1st undersecretary] asked what is that money given for? I told him Mr. Undersecretary you have heard from them that they want to assist teachers,” he narrated.
However, some report indicated that some school children are chased away from the school for failing not pay what they call ‘parents contribution funds’
The national ministry of general Education and Instruction is yet to comment over the matter, whether this money has legality and parents should continue to pay.
On several occasions, the minister of education, Awut Deng Acuil warned schools from collecting money from pupils’ parents, or risk a stern punishment.