As schools are reopening soon, parents struggle to pay fees for their children - these are some of the effects of the pandemic felt by most parents.
A concerned parent, Siyabonga Koyo expressed how this has impacted struggling families:
What I don't understand though is that even though kids no longer attend school daily there was no decrease in school fees. Instead ,this year, there is an increase in school fees which will put more strain on struggling families.
TPN Credit Bureau survey has confirmed that school fees are their worst performers during this time, for instance, 60% of school fees were paid when the hard lockdown started and declined by a good 10% during this period.
TPN Credit Bureau CEO Michelle Dickens also mentioned how this will lead to an increase of people relying on debt to survive the month of January.
Schools are feeling the pinch as they had to budget cuts by two-thirds to keep afloat.
Dickens said private schools had to cut back on permanent teachers, and government schools public schools had to cut back on temporary staff members.
Public schools should be cognizant of the fact that parents are entitled to an exemption either in fuller or parts, depending on their financial situation of which they should be transparent about to the school in a form of an affidavit.
For private schools, parents should engage and clarify what is the reason for them not being able to afford fees at this point in time.
Then, they can have a payment plan - an acknowledgment of debt that then gets repaid over a period of time.
