Schools urged to accept e-receipts of fees provided by parents

MOBILE banking school merchants in the country must accept legitimate e-receipts provided by parents to ease the burden of queues in branches and improve school operational efficiencies, according to Bank South Pacific Financial Group Ltd (BSP).
The bank said in a statement that its branches continued to see an influx in the number of people lining up across the country despite having the BSP mobile banking (*131#) school fee payment platform available.
It highlighted that schools in Mt Hagen were reluctant to accept e-receipts for school fees paid via the mobile banking payment option.
The schools insisted on paper receipts and had forced parents and guardians to queue up at the bank.
BSP retail group general manager Daniel Faunt urged registered schools in Western Highlands to accept electronic receipts provided by parents and guardians as these were legitimate payments.
“The mobile banking (*131#) school fee payment option is genuine and improves school’s operational efficiencies by saving valuable admin time for teachers, easily recorded directly into the school system and allows for parents to make payments in their own time and place which essentially reduces banking queues,” Faunt said.
“In addition to digital banking options, BSP also opened 16 of its branches, including Mt Hagen branch on three consecutive Saturdays for school fee deposits.
“This allows for parents and guardians who are unable to pay school or tertiary institution fees including project fees during the weekdays to have the opportunity to visit respective BSP branches on the weekend.”
Faunt said BSP Mt Hagen branch served over 700 customers over the three Saturdays it was open.
He said 24 schools in Western Highlands were registered for the mobile banking school fee payments platform and the bank urged these schools to accept e-receipts from parents and guardians.