Allow schools to raise money

TWO stories from Morobe this week bring out two different aspects of operating a school.
One was of a school using a bit of initiative and self-reliance in building a new facility.
In the other, the provincial education boss has advised heads of schools against the practice of obtaining goods and services to operate their schools and repay them with Government tuition fee support funding.
The difference in approach to running educational institutions is quite telling here. In the one case, the school administration and parents chip in ideas and resources to build whereas in the other scenario, school heads are forced to obtain on credit what they need to keep their operations going.
Traditionally, schools were run with financial and other forms of support from parents and guardians with a bit of agency assistance in the case of church or mission-run schools. There was additional assistance from the government periodically on a needs basis but not supported annually by the budget as is the present practice.
In the case of boarding schools, parental support through yearly fees were a critical source of funding that had to be paid in order to provide student needs in the provision of basics such as water, food, electricity and accommodation.
For years, that had worked well up until the Government decided to relieve parents through the tuition free or subsidised education policy.
In the past decade or so, the Government has paid for basic curriculum materials and provided an additional cash component for the operations of schools nationwide.
And despite calls for a change in the way education subsidy money has been remitted to schools, it seems nothing has changed much.
Schools need money to operate and, unfortunately, that money is not paid when it is needed and in required amounts. Instead, whatever money is paid is dependent on cash flow and other issues to do with the Government’s payment systems.
Unfortunately, school operations do not always run in sync with Waigani’s accounting system or budget cycle.
For that reason, instead of issuing blanket restrictions on schools collecting additional funding, the Government has to give ample leeway for them to collect whatever additional funding they deem necessary to keep institutions operational, especially in the case of boarding institutions.
Without that, the next available option for school administrations is to borrow from goods and service providers.
Like an ill-advised and overbearing parent, the Government has proceeded to dissuade and warn school boards and head teachers against charging additional fees. School heads have even been reprimanded and threatened with heavy penalties for collecting fees from parents.
This may sound like a relief to some parents who are genuinely struggling to meet the additional fees but it places those managing schools in pretty difficult situations.
When education subsidy money does not hit school accounts when it is needed most and in amounts necessary, like it often does, what do school administrations do? They simply obtain the needed goods and services on credit – against the school subsidy money to come later, whenever that may be.
This has been a problem throughout the country and was highlighted again recently by Morobe’s education advisor who likened schools repaying debts owing to service providers to a virus.
He pointed out that debt servicing hindered progress in schools denying them of new and better facilities.
In his words, borrowing money to manage a school is not right because it is not a private business of a headmaster, head teacher or principal and their governing council or board of management.
He urges headmasters to be open-minded and creative, to think outside of the box to find ways to sustain the schools’ operations.
“You cannot always depend on GTFS and project fees.”
That is hitting the nail on the head. Schools cannot and should not depend on GTSF. They should again be allowed to charge project fees over and beyond whatever dreamed up levels imposed by Waigani.
And, with the consent and willing support of parents and guardians, schools should also find other ways to sustain and/or improve their operations.
Subsidised education may be a good concept but it should come without restrictions on other means to raise money. Rundown school buildings in a lot of public schools throughout the country show how badly more money over and above the education subsidy funding is needed.