HUNDREDS of parents of Mae’s Schools (Playgroup, Nursery, and Primary levels) have been angered by the school’s administration’s decision to increase tuition fees by some 42 per cent. The parents have since called on the administrators of the school to meet with them to discuss the hike in fees and to resuscitate the Parent Teachers’ Association.
The parents have also called for the hike in tuition fees to be reduced to less than 14 percent across the board, as well as for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee the operation of private schools.

In a statement to the media on Wednesday, the group of 172 parents said they were shocked to receive notices just prior to the closure of school for the Easter holiday indicating that fees for the Christmas term will be increased by 42 percent.

According to the notices issued to parents, the fees for children in the playground have jumped from $35,000 per term (three months) to $50,000 per term, representing a 42 percent increase. At the nursery level, there has been a 33 percent increase with fees moving from $45,000 to $60,000, while at the primary Level, from Grades 1 to 4, the increase stands at 25 percent– moving from $60,000 to $75,000.

Parents of Grade 5 students are required to pay $70,000, representing a combination of $60,000 for tuition and $10,000 for lessons fees. The fees for this level have not increased. However, Grade 6 students are now being charged $80,000, which is a combination of $60,000 tuition and $20,000 lessons fees. Initially, that level paid $60,000 tuition and $10,000 lesson fee.

“This was done without any explanation,” said the parents, who have since written the school’s administrator, Stacey French, asking for justification “for the excessive increase in lieu of the removal of VAT on Education”.

The school in response said that its decision to increase fees was “necessary for a number of reasons, including the fact that our costs to do business have increased, in some cases quite substantially, over the last few years.”

“Further, in an environment where hiring teachers who are both motivated and experienced has become a monumental task, we are at a point where we are placing an even greater focus on staff development/empowerment. Please note that as a part of this endeavour we are also looking at overall operations and ways to make them more efficient,” the school’s administrator, Stacey French stated.

On the issue of VAT remittance, French said the school’s tax records are not for “public consumption,” but noted that VAT returns as specified by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were submitted for November 2017 and December 2017, with requisite liability payments.

“VAT payments made as of January 1, 2018 were credited toward fees for August Term 2018, as indicated to affected parents. Please note further that we effectively “ate” the VAT charges for August Term 2017 without passing this cost on to parents,” French stated, adding that she is sure that GRA will advise the institution of any rebates due.
French accepted that while the school’s decision to hike the fees is not a popular one, the administration of the school stands firmly behind it “because it will benefit the school, which is always our priority.”

“We look forward to your continued patronage, but understand that you need to make the right choice for your family at this juncture,” French said in conclusion to her response to the concerned parents.

However, the parents have noted that in the school’s response to its letter to French dated March 28, 2018, there was no mention of the direct improvement to the school’s existing facilities such as poor ventilation and washroom facilities.

“While many parents are not against a reasonable raise in the fees, we are very angry at the excessively high percentage. It may have been better to increase fees incrementally, starting below 14% to cushion the effect,” the parents stated.

One parent said, “Increased fees have to be matched to better facilities,” while another stated, “ If the school fees are not paid on time or God forbid you didn’t take in the bank slip in time. They remove your child from a class that is in session with their belongings and make them sit in the office.”

Other parents have termed the move by Mae’s Schools as “outright robbery,” as many are struggling to send their students to the private institution.
“This is nonsense….how could you increase school fees so excessively…what about parents who have two children and more going to the school?” another parent stated.
Additionally, the parents noted that the school’s administration stood with parents who were against government’s imposition of 14 per cent VAT on private education last year. That VAT imposition has since been removed.

“[They] are now adding more than double that burden to the shoulders of parents. We doubt this is what the Ministry of Finance intended as action by private schools when Minister Jordan announced the removal of VAT on private education, since the challenges faced by parents remain the same,” the parents noted.

According to the statement, the parents accept that they have the option to remove their children from Mae’s and enrol them either into other private schools or public schools.
“Yes, we can move our children to other schools, whether public or private, but we wish to register our discontent and dissatisfaction with the school’s exploitative and rigid decision without any discussion or regard.”

The school’s administration has failed to respond to a request by the parents to have had a discourse on the matter.

“We call for a meeting to be held with the school’s administration and the parents to discuss our concerns and a resuscitated PTA; We call for a decrease in the percentage of the fee raised to under 14 per cent across the board; We call for a regulatory body to be set up by the relevant authority to oversee the operation of Private Schools in Guyana, since it is a highly unregulated sector with little or no consumer protection or relevant legislation,” the parents said, while noting that they are mulling their next move.