“The National Government allocates only 5% of the subsidy that they talked about to the Fresh Water School which represents Vt8 million, most of which is spent on books and similar materials.

“But the Fresh Water School itself has to raise Vt22 million annually to meet costs of 95% of the running and the operational costs of the school that includes maintenance, electricity, water, furniture, uniforms (paid by the parents through contributions), security and much more,” the School Principal, Manses Kalo responded to an article that was published on Saturday that a school laid off some primary and secondary school students for failing to meet term one and term two school fees.

The Ministry of Education through the Director of Education in Vanuatu, Roy Obed, pointed out in last Saturday’s issue that the Government subsidizes primary school fees, therefore the parents need not pay for year 1 to year 6 level school fees.

However, yesterday, the Fresh Water School Principal clarified that class six students who were sent home by the school authority last week, was due to non-payment of term 1 and term 2 school contributions of Vt2,000 per child.

But the school Principal stressed that it was not because of school fees but rather the parent contributions of Vt2,000 per term per child.

“The secondary school students including year 7 to year 8 must pay for school fees as this is mandatory.

“So, the school authority had to suspend all secondary school students in Fresh Water Bilingual school who have not paid for school fees for terms one and two.

“We can accept those who can clear term one and take care of term two later,” the principal clarified to the Daily Post.

The Principal went on to stress that the reality is the school is run on an annual budget and the Fresh Water School which is the biggest bilingual school in Vanuatu with over 1,600 students from kindy, primary to secondary, runs on a budget of Vt22 million annually. READ MORE

SOURCE: VANUATU DAILY POST