Date: 2008/01/06
Take your money back, says minister
Yesterday's report in the NST
PUTRAJAYA: "Go ahead, take your money back," an irate education minister said yesterday to parents who complained of extra charges imposed by schools and parent-teacher associations.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said as the charges were not compulsory, the ministry could not stop parents from seeking a refund.He clarified that the charges, based on parents' income level and employment, were guidelines and not binding.Hishammuddin was not too pleased with parents who had paid up and were now changing their minds following his announcement on Thursday that the charges were not compulsory."You could pay in the beginning. Why is it now you don't want to pay?" Hishammuddin asked at the ministry's family day at Putrajaya Wetlands here.
"How is it that first you can afford, the next day you can't?"Hishammuddin expressed regret that the matter had become an issue."I'm not stopping schools from making a refund. "I don't think any school will close down because of this."Some parents were caught unawares on the first day of school when they were asked to pay extra charges, amounting to more than RM100 in some cases, for school maintenance, sport day, sport attire, school magazines and test papers.Many were under the impression that such charges had been scrapped when the government announced in September last year that it was abolishing school fees from this year.They failed to realise that this only applied to the government school fee of RM4.50 per primary pupil and RM9 per secondary school student.Hishammuddin said it had been the standard practice for years to let schools and PTAs decide on the amount. He took to task parents who did not bother to attend PTA meetings where such decisions were made but complained when they were asked to pay.He said the ministry chose to issue guidelines instead of regulations to cap the amount schools could charge so as not to limit contributions from wealthy parents.The ministry's guidelines on the charges recommend that for primary pupils, the amount is to be not more than RM38.50 for Package A, RM30.50 for Package B and RM23.50 for Package C.For secondary schools, the charges are RM55.50, RM44.50 and RM33.50 respectively.The packages differentiate between parents who work in big business or are civil servants in the professional group (A), professionals or civil servants in the support group (B), and petty traders, plantation, blue-collar and government workers (C).On the call by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk M. Kayveas for the charges to be standardised, Hishammuddin commented:"Kayveas can wait until he's education minister to solve all the problems."Education director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said parents unable to pay the full amount requested could pay the amount they could afford.He said parents who did not pay the fees should not fear that their children would be treated differently.
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