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| Thursday, 06 January 2005 |
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by Manjula Fernando A leading girls school at Kurunegala was raided by the Presidential Investigation Unit's flying squad last week following complaints that parents of Grade one entrants had been forced to donate funds to the school. Acting on a tip off, the flying squad officials disguised as parents coming to register their children, caught three 'volunteers' involved in the collection process along with Rs. 250,000, Education Ministry sources said. The volunteers confessed they were planning to donate the funds to renovate grade one classes. The school was to admit 140 students and each parent was asked to 'donate' Rs. 5,000. The full collection would have amounted to Rs. 700,000 and the investigating officers have inquired whether such a large sum of money is required to carry out minor renovation to grade one classes. In a statement to the investigating officials, the Deputy Principal who had been overseeing the registration process on the day of the raid had confessed that she was not aware of this project by volunteers (who were also parents of new grade one children) although they set about their work just a few steps away in the same room. The school principal had admitted that it was a serious offence to collect money from parents other than for those stipulated in the circular. According to the circular, parents are expected to furnish School Development Committee membership fee and the facilities fee. According to section 21 of circular No.18 of 2004 issued by Education Secretary Dr. Tara de Mel, collecting money from parents of Grade One students is forbidden. The parents involved in the collection, one lawyer and two teachers explained they set up a 'Parents Forum' to collect funds to renovate the grade one classes at a meeting at the school on December 28. Parents who had been displeased with this so called 'project' had complained to the Presidential Investigation Unit. They also picketed yesterday in front of the Isurupaya, where the Education Ministry is housed, demanding early action. |
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