'Money cannot be charged forcefully from students'

No school can charge money from students forcefully when admitting them to A-L classes, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said in Parliament yesterday.

He said that it was illegal to make it compulsory for students with financial difficulties to pay various fees when entering A-L classes.

The minister made this observation in response to a question raised by DNA MP Anura Dissanayake, under Standing Order 23 (2). Anura Dissanayake MP pointed out that several schools were charging money ranging between Rs 6,000 to 10,000 when admitting students for A-L classes, adding that these fees applied to both new students as well as students who were studying in the same school. The minister said schools which were known as 'Popular Schools' receive funds from past pupil associations, parents and other well-wishers, to improve facilities in them.

He said some of these schools were charging fees from A-L students in agreement with parents, but this cannot be made compulsory to all students. He observed the facilities in these 'Popular Schools' could not be maintained only with government funds.

He observed that some schools had to hire teachers for certain subjects in A-L classes, such as English Literature, foreign languages and computer lessons, due to the teacher shortage in the country.

The minister noted that providing an invoice to the students when collecting money and mentioning them in the audit reports were necessary. The minister said legal action would be taken against the principals if they have solicited money from students in an irregular manner or have harassed the students physically or mentally for not paying the money.