Friday, August 15, 2008 Roperos: School collection By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
DESPITE the presidential pronouncement during the school opening week that there would no longer be burdensome collections of “voluntary” contributions or donations, school children are still hounding their parents for money to pay varied school accounts, ranging from light-and-water fees to school publications.
These are on top of other expenses for projects required by teachers of different subjects.
I think teachers and parents should help each other bring down the cost of sustaining school children in school, particularly those who come from the ranks of low-income families.
During the nutrition week some teachers required children to bring vegetables and fruits to school to cook, others asked the pupils to share in the cost of buying floor wax. But P2 a week, or even a month, is already something to marginal families.
How true is it that the Department of Education has money for miscellaneous expenses of the students in the annual budget but this does not reach the local schools?
My reliable informant, a municipal mayor, claims that he tried to verify this from the school division superintendent’s office and was told that there is such allocation of some P220 per student, and this is supposed to be disbursed to the school principals.
Unfortunately, the same has not been done by the Office of the School Superintendent, forcing the teachers at ground level to fend for themselves to cover needed expense.
As one public school teacher told me, “Alang-alang man sab, sir, ug kami maoy motapal ana. Naglisod na gud sab mi. (It’s unfair sir, if we still have to cover the expense. We are quite hard up, already.)” So where does the budget for miscellaneous expenses go?
I believe, as does my informant, that the amount is held at the division level and used as savings and then spent by the school officials for their travels here and abroad to attend seminars and conferences.
For how else could one explain the fact that for the repair of a broken window pane or school toilet, the pupils are asked to contribute?
Truth is, expenses relative to the operation and maintenance of the rural schools—I don’t know about the cities—are shouldered by the parents who cannot say no to the teachers when they are asked to contribute small amounts which could be big enough for them at P10 or P20 each.
These are expenses that should be shouldered by the schools.
