Project fees to be refunded : PM O'Neill

Project fees collected by schools from parents at the start of the school year are to be refunded.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill announced this decision by the National Executive Council, saying this fee was not compulsory and was often excessive.
Prime Minister O’Neill said NEC has rescinded Clause (2) of the NEC Decision No. 358/2015 which had allowed for this fee to be collected.
Clause (2) of NEC Decision No. 358/2015 reads “approved in principle the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) Policy to improve on the management and disbursement of the TFF funds.”
It has been rescinded and replaced with “approved Tuition Fee Free (TFF) Policy to improve on the management and disbursement, and that no other fees including project fee and church agency fee is imposed on the parents and guardians.”
“Cabinet approved that all project fees collected by schools are to be refunded to parents. Cabinet also directed Treasury and Finance departments to release TFF funds to Department of Education quarterly and on time,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the rescinding of the clause came about as a result of reports and observations made that showed that rules for project fees have been grossly abused and miss applied by some schools.
“Project fee is not a compulsory fee and students’ right to education should not be denied,” he said.
Prime Minister O’Neill said the timely release of TFF funds to schools will ensure school operations are not hampered.
“If Treasury and Finance can release the TFF funds early, schools will not find excuses to charge these fees.”.. Read latest education news on >> PNG Education News Online