Ministry of General Education has called on the school Authorities and parents at St. Mary’s Secondary School to devise flexible payment terms for Project Fund.
Permanent Secretary Henry Tukombe explained that his Ministry is aware of the school project Fund that will go towards the construction of the double storey classroom block at the school.
Mr. Tukombe who spoke through the Ministry Spokesperson Nondo Chilonga during the press briefing, stressed that Parents and School Authorities ought to agree on how the categories of K6, 000 and k10, 000 project fund will be paid out.
And Parents Teachers Committee (PTC) Chairperson Mabvuso Sinda clarified that the school needs over K4 million to complete the project.
Mr. Sinda said it was agreed during the PTA meeting that each grade eight pupil should pay k10, 000 as project fund just for this year, stating that the returning students will pay k6, 000 each.
He further stated that the building will help eradicate the shortage on classrooms at the school and enhance the quality of education.
And the PTC Chairperson highlighted that the school fees have been static at K3, 900 per year for the past 10 years.
He further called on the general public not to take seriously the stories on social media about the project fund at the school for they lack merit and details.
Tukombe must check the Finacial regulations governing funding for public and private institutions. If they levy pupils will the project change ownership? NO. It will still remain a private school owned by Catholics. Let them seek alternative source of funds like a loan that they can pay back over time. What they’re doing isn’t supported by any Law
Isn’t it precisely because it is a private institution that they can implement the levies the deem necessary and anyone who cannot afford can go elsewhere? Whereas if it was a public institution one would have recourse to the fact that they are already receiving funding from the treasury and any additional levies would come under scrutiny and need to be sanctioned by the main share holder….the government. I stand to be correct but your argument seems to be flawed.
I still have not understood why students anywhere should be paying for school projects. Those students are there for lessons and they are already paying for that. Fundraising is the headache of the school management. Instead of having management that is full of teachers, these schools need to start hiring people from business backgrounds, there are plenty of them on the market. Don’t behave like Lusaka mayor who had no clue on how to raise funds, so he wants to pass the burden on to the already overburdened tax payer by charging something on airtime
Zambians are docile ..Parents, former students need to stand up and challenge this decision in court as the body representing them is not doing a good job.
Why should students be paying for construction of new classrooms…this is just daylight robbery and lazy thinking. WHERE does it take all that money from school fees…why cant it approach a bank for a loan? These are thieves masqurading as holy men and women!!
K10 000 .mmmmmmmm let’s be realistic. Most civil servants on average earn K3500.
The school is in Kabulonga and is a private school. Obviously, its target market is not your average civil servant.
Be real and stop changing such
Mr Sinda said it was agreed in a PTA meeting that grade 8 pupils pay K10000. Are you sure Mr Mr Sinda these parents were invited or it was the PTA and school management that attended.
People should feel for others. Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean all can
On social media we thank God for them because if social media didn’t bring it up it would not be discussed as people were not going to be aware
Children were chased from classes so let’s stop lying to the masses out there. What examples are we setting to our children.
For the funds find other ways as this is too much
The problem lies in precisely the fact stated by the PTC chairman that they have not increased fees in 10 years!. Why the hell not! Any school or business for that matter charges fees or prices that are meant to cover not only operational costs but also cover future infrastructure investment and growth. By not increasing fees year on year not only to cover inflation but capital investment, the management and PTC have exhibited a high level of incompetence as the cost of such capital expenditure as the new classroom block should have been amortised over the last ten year and absorbed by annual school fee increases. This would have been far affordable and acceptable as the cost would have spread over a long period and thousands of pupils than just the current students with the new grade…
…grade eight carrying most of the financial burden. I can only assume that the management and PTC definitely has business and financial managers in its midst but for whatever reason decide not to apply their knowledge and experience from the corporate world. Or maybe I assume wrong!