Schools hiring debt collectors

BY NATHAN BEAUMONT

Cash-strapped schools are flouting Education Ministry advice and turning to debt collectors to chase "voluntary" fees from parents.

Principals say the tactic shows that schools are under-funded and want the Government to stop "playing games".

The Dominion Post has obtained documents under the Official Information Act that reveal cases brought to the attention of the education minister, including a school which published a list of parents' names who had paid the donation.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has promised to take a tough approach to schools not following the rules. "I am concerned when I am informed of unacceptable financial practices occurring in our schools. I am not prepared to condone such practices and will instruct ministry officials to address these with schools concerned when they are brought to my attention."

Baycorp general manager Joe Nel said the agency had about 300 private and state schools on its books, slightly up on last year, with an average debt of $650 for things such as school trips, uniforms and stationery.A number of schools had also asked the agency to collect the donation. "They can be quite sneaky and lump it in with other debt and hope we don't notice."

By law, every New Zealand child has the right to a free education from age five to 19. But state schools say they cannot survive on government funding and ask parents for an annual donation on top of compulsory fees for everything from art and cooking supplies, homework books, school camps, sports gear and photocopying.

The Education Ministry has already warned an Auckland school to stop its "inappropriate" methods during a two-year battle, but the advice has been ignored.

Owairoa Primary School, in Howick, has hired an agency to phone parents to remind them about paying the donation.

Board of trustees chairman Bruce Howard said he expected the ministry to be supportive of boards trying to manage school funds and it had to realise donations were critical.

"The board will continue to encourage parents to pay their school donation into the 2009 year and give notice that they will be using similar strategies as we have used in [2008]," he told the ministry.

In a school newsletter, parents were told: "To the 53 per cent of families who have not been able to make this important contribution to their child's education, we ask that you reconsider ... As a small way of showing our appreciation, the board will be publishing a letter of thanks, naming all those who have contributed their donation."

A parent, who wrote to the ministry, said many eventually paid the donation to get on the published list and avoid being "shamed". "I was most disgusted in the bullying tactics from a school that has a no-bullying policy."

Wellington College headmaster Roger Moses said his decile 10 school wrote to parents asking them to pay the donation but did not condone the use of debt collectors.

"The Government needs to stop playing games, pretending that schools are adequately funded. Let us get on with it and let us make reasonable requests to parents.

"I'm not saying we should be holding guns to parents' heads. If parents can't pay, that's fine but, by the same token, it's not good enough to hide behind the guise we have a completely free, fully-funded education. That's not reality."

- © Fairfax NZ News