adminEnraged parents and guardians who spoke to Chronicle said the school authorities have been chasing away pupils on Beam since Tuesday demanding advance payment.
“The action taken by Mkoba Four Primary School is shocking. When one is under the BEAM facility, it means that, as guardians we are failing to pay fees for these pupils, most of whom are orphans.
“It baffles the mind that the school authorities want us to pay advance school fees and levies for them to accommodate the pupils. I do not think Government approves this and something should be done to correct this anomaly,” said a guardian of one of the affected pupils.
The parents and guardians said the school authorities promised to refund them once the school received its Beam funds from Government, an arrangement, which they said was not feasible.
They said the school authorities did not refund them when they also demanded advance payment last year.
“This is not the first time Mkoba Four authorities have demanded advance fees from guardians with pupils under Beam. Last year they persuaded us and we were forced to go out of our way and pay the money after they complained that the Beam funds were delaying.
“We were, however, not refunded and we ended up giving up on follow-ups because the money involved then was only $10 per child. They also want to use the same trick this time to again siphon us. I think it is high time the powers that be looked into the matter,” said another guardian.
Contacted for comment, the school headmaster, Mr Fidelis Mantiziba said the pupils, who were being chased away over fees, were not pupils under Beam. He said the BEAM committee was yet to meet and select pupils, who would benefit under the BEAM facility.
Mr Mantiziba said pupils to be placed under Beam would be selected according to the amount of money the school would receive.
“Government only allocates a certain amount of money for BEAM pupils every year. This then means that those, who were on Beam last year, are automatically on Beam this year,” said Mr Mantiziba.
Mr Mantiziba said pupils to be placed under the Beam facility this year were likely to be reduced from last year’s 117 pupils after the school increased fees and levies.
“Last year we had 117 pupils on BEAM and our fees and levies were $20. This year our fees and levies were reviewed to $40 and what we do is that we divide $40 for each pupil by the amount of money we would have received from the Government, as Beam, to determine the number of pupils to benefit. There is therefore a high likelihood that pupils who will benefit this year will be very few,” he said.
Mr Mantiziba said those guardians with pupils who would have been selected to benefit under the Beam facility will be refunded.
“What we are saying is that parents and guardians should stop being irresponsible by hiding under the Beam facility. Let them pay the money and if their children are included in the Beam facility after paying, they will be refunded,” he said.
Online Reporter