UNETHICAL TO SMOOTH FORCING THE PARENT

By : JACKSON LU

KENINGAU: Parents of children in a school here are upset with the timing of the school decided to make a collection for its development fees which was done during the distribution of the government’s RM100 Special Contributions to school children.

One of the parents representing others who decided to bring the matter up to the media, Maria (not her real name), 46, a single mother who works as a security guard, said the timing of the school is a ‘paksaan secara halus’ (smooth forcing).

“Why did the school decided to distribute the letter (referring to the RM50 fee collection letter) to us, the parents, while the distributions of the RM100 Special Contributions was underway in the same hall?

“We know that the school board made a very careful method of not to directly cut the contribution from the RM100 sum so that no one could accuse them of mishandling of allocations, but it’s just the same as victimising parents and children,” she said.

Maria said, the fact that parents were handed the ‘letter’, not once, but twice during the same event, only shows how determined the school was to force parents to deduct half of what the children get from the Special Contribution.

“When we first entered the school hall for the ceremony, teachers at the entrance distribute the letter, and for those like me, who had to get the RM100 in my child’s classroom, again, the letter was handout personally to me there.

“In the classroom, they set up a counter with two teachers and a student sitting attending to the distribution of the contribution. After signing for the contribution, before they hand us the money, they would hand out the letter, insisting that we pay up there and then,” she said.

Maria said, however, as she went to the ceremony without having any money, she almost decided to deduct RM50 from the Special Contribution to pay up, but she decided not to, as the money was intended solely for purchasing schooling items for her child.

“The school’s action is ill-intended because they are taking advantage of the day that parents receiving a contribution by the government. The fact that the school ask half of what was given is also an indication of greed,” she said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of SM Ken Hwa, Keningau told media that the Development Fee is intended to finance costs of repairing damages on the school’s property such as leaking roofs, damaged car parks, fences and so on.

He said, such fees are collected annually, whereas in the previous years, about 99 percent of parents pay up for the fees, and although it is expected that all parents should pay up, it is not a compulsory.

However, when asked why the collection of RM50 fees was done on the very same time where the RM100 contribution was distributed, the spokesperson refuse to give any comment.