It is the beginning of another school year, and parents and their children are busy searching for schools.
For some students, it would be easy for them to secure a place at one of the country’s best schools.
For others, it will be a daunting task to have admission to a high school or junior school of their choice.
This is simply because they do not have good passes to have admission in their first choice of school.
It is the time for those who were working hard at school, during the last academic year, and those who were not performing well, to become known to many in their neighborhood and school.
Another issue that catches our attention is the issue of students coming from the rural areas wanting to be enrolled in the city.
While we are not discouraging such students, we must remind them of the high costs involved in studying in the city, including accommodation and transportation costs for those commuting to and from school, and the daily school lunch allowance.
In many rural schools, these might not necessarily be a requirement, but in the city it’s a matter of must.
We are, therefore, encouraging students in the provinces to look into these issues, and stay and go to schools in their neighbourhood if there exists one.
For some parents, this is the most difficult moment for them since their farm produce are yet for harvesting much more to market them in order to pay children’s school fees.
We are, therefore, appealing to school authorities to consider such factors, and accept installment payment for some exceptional cases.
Since most parents in the country are farmers, who rely entirely on their produce for income, it would be ideal for school authorities to consider their plight.
For instance, instead of asking parents to pay for two sets of uniforms at the beginning of the school year, you could ask them to buy one at a time considering their economic condition.
Some parents toil both day and night to ensure that the educational needs of their children are met, thus the need to cooperate with them.
Since education is a right, we urge school authorities to work closely with parents to ensure uninterrupted education for all children.