School admissions:

Excess fees charged to be refunded

Uditha KUMARASINGHE and Irangika RANGE

Education Minister Susil Premajayanth told Parliament yesterday that principals islandwide will be informed to pay back parents excess money charged from them for official fees when admitting children to schools.

This directive will be issued to all schools today.

Responding to a question by JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Minister Premajayanth said Principals have been given permission only to charge schools' facilities and services fee and membership fee of the School Development Society.

"Therefore the Education Ministry through a circular has informed principals that only those fees should be charged from parents."

MP Dissanayake asked if such a circular had been issued how the parents had been charged exorbitant amounts of money when children are admitted to some schools.

Two leading schools in Colombo district have charged Rs. 5,760 and Rs. 3,600 from each student admitted for Advanced Level classes. These amounts have been charged under the provisions of assignment fee, library fee, electricity fee and security expenses.

The Minister said if such amounts have been charged in excess of the authorised fees, an audit inquiry will be conducted on such schools and the principals will be ordered to pay back that money to parents.