Source: ‘No to debt collectors in schools’ | The Herald June 1, 2016
Bulawayo Bureau
The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Lazarus Dokora has said it is illegal for schools to engage debt collectors against parents who default on paying school fees.
In an interview on the side-lines of Global Action Week for Education commemorations held recently in Gwanda, Minister Dokora said if schools decided on a legal route to recover outstanding fees they should approach the Small Claims Court, not debt collectors.
He reiterated that no child should be excluded from school for non-payment of fees.
The Minister was told schools especially in Bulawayo and Gwanda had handed defaulting parents over to debt collectors.
“Which schools are doing that? That’s not the proper channel and it’s not done that way. No parent should be taken to debt collectors. That’s not their job to do so,” responded the Minister.
“If the schools decide to recover money from parents they should instead go to the Small Claims Court which is part of the magistrates courts. What those schools are doing is illegal,” said Dokora.
The Minister said schools should engage parents to pay fees while their children are attending classes.
“Don’t let the children even know that there’s dialogue between you and their parents involving fees. Let them walk into school and learn without hindrance. No child should be excluded from school because of non-payment of fees,” said the Minister.
COMMENTS
let me just take my child to school and never pay school fees again.thank you Dokora
First, there should be a law protecting children and family’s information. Turning o we student and parent’s nAmes and educational information should fall under violation of child rights. There must be protection against divulging family family delinquency. School fees is a private Cissie and should be treated as such.Prom opals should find other confidential methods of collecting their money than releasing names to private companies.One other way if for government to bet certain companies who would be delegated to collect while principLe focus on instruction.