-Chief Education Officer
Under no circumstances must monetary donations be made a condition for children seeking registration and admission to a school, according to acting Chief Education Officer, Roopnarine Tewari.
Recently, it was brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education that head teachers and teachers of some schools had been demanding large sums of money for registration and admission, the ministry said in a press release.
Meanwhile, the ministry has put out a circular to all senior education officers and head teachers of all public schools, including the practical instructional centres, emphasizing that children have a right to school without any preconditions.
The circular stresses that head teachers and teachers are not permitted to request monetary donations from parents, members of the community, private or public agencies or other sources.
“Only the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) has the authority to request donations (in cash or kind) and this must be approved at a statutory meeting where at least 30 per cent of the parent population is present.
“The meeting must be held in the last term of the school year to set the quantum to be requested in the new school year. The notice to the parents must clearly state that they are expected to make a decision on the amount of monetary donation that should be requested,” the circular stated.
According to the one-page document, all monetary donations must be acknowledged, kept and managed by the PTA and receipts issued by the treasurer, or any other member so authorized in writing by that body.
The executive committee of the PTA will exercise authority over all monetary matters and other committees they may appoint to assist them, and to retain all bank accounts and records for periodic audit, the release stated.
In the meantime, the head teacher shall appoint a Parent Committee where no PTA exists, and send correspondence to parents for their agreement on any amount decided on for monetary donations.
It was also noted that the amount requested for monetary donations must be submitted to the respective education departments and the School Board Secretariat in the case of school boards for concurrence.
The circular further stated that head teachers are required under penalty of appropriate disciplinary action to expend and account for monies donated by persons, alumni or agencies.
“They are expected to maintain the necessary financial and other records for inspection at any time and to submit a timely report to the Department of Education.”
Head teachers requesting large sums of monies for registration and admission will be charged with “financial impropriety and insubordinate conduct” and placed before the Disciplinary Committee of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC).
The acting chief education officer also pointed out that any education officer found guilty of condoning these illegal practices will be disciplined by the Public Service Commission (PSC), the release added.
