EDITORIAL COMMENT: Allow grace period for bank transfers

AS schools open for the second term of the year, the prevailing cash shortages have made things difficult for school authorities and parents, thus ultimately infringing on the right to education for some children. A number of parents have genuinely failed to access enough cash in time to settle their school fees bills before opening day and have resorted to transfers.School authorities should consider relaxing some of their standing rules in light of the liquidity crisis. For example, some schools only admit pupils after confirmation from the school’s bank that fees have been paid. Other schools only accept pupils with stamped receipts showing that cash was deposited in the school account. The schools are refusing to consider transfer papers stamped by the bank as valid proof of payment.

We fully accept that a paper stamped by the bank showing that a parent has applied for a transfer only signifies that an application was made and will not automatically translate into payment. We also understand that systems are put in place for a reason. But we feel that school authorities should consider that rules are made for people and therefore should be adjusted for the situation. A grace period for this week while transfers are cleared is clearly indicated as the best way forward for the learner.

Pupils should not have to miss lessons for a situation that is beyond the control of the parent. What is especially unfair is that the affected pupils will miss valuable learning time, yet the parent would have paid the fees. Many parents were waiting for their April salaries to settle school fees bills and if there had been no cash shortages they would have met their obligations with no problems.

But, on the other hand, parents also need to play their part by being responsible. Much as the shortage of cash and long queues may have created a lot of inconveniences, those are not valid reasons for a parent or guardian to not have paid fees in one way or another. They should not be used as an excuse for the absence of funds to pay fees.

Parents should only be negotiating with schools to take their children on trust, while transfers are being effected, instead of using the cash shortage as an excuse for not meeting their obligations. Much as it is the right of every child to access education, schools cannot operate without resources. So parents who send their children to school without paying fees are, in fact, doing a disservice to their own children and the rest of the school.

In addition parents should also be trustworthy. Some schools have decided not to accept RTGS papers as proof of payment until the money hits the school account, because they have discovered that some parents are dishonest and take advantage of the time gap between application for a transfer and actual transaction.

They get their RTGS application stamped to present to schools as proof of payment then immediately withdraw the funds. The school will only discover that no money is coming through a few days later and by that time the parent will have come up with a story about how there was a hitch at the bank.

Not only is this shortsighted subterfuge expensive, as the parent will have to face punitive charges from the bank, the person also suffers permanent damage to their reputation. In addition, school staff should not have to spend their time and school resources following up on parents playing silly games.

Meanwhile, banks need to come up with viable and convenient methods for fees payment in future as people are being urged to adopt cashless transactions as the norm. An ideal system would be a cheap and fast one with transfers effected immediately upon application. It could go with an online application allowing school authorities to monitor deposits into their accounts in real time.

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