Letter to the Minister of Education
Dear Education Minister,
I trust you are well.
I have a few issues I would like to share with you.
I moved my children from a private school this year to a public school next year. The main reason is I can not afford the fees at the public school or the uniform or the stationery packs.
Well! Its not working out so well for me right now!
Firstly I had to pay a R5000 deposit – which was double what I had to pay at the private school.
Secondly the uniforms for the children are astronomical. ONE dress for my little Grade 1 daughter is R235! TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE RAND for one dress. I can buy a Ginger Mary dress for that. And I promise you before your over worked educator can teach her how to write the letter a she will be too big for that dress. My boyfriend recently bought a pair of pants and a shirt from a design label at Edgars for the same price that two of Camerons shirts cost. Again all of this more than the private school.
Thirdly I may have to cancel Christmas, return all the gifts and make cheese sandwiches for lunch because my kids must have gold plated pencils costing R20 for 2. Seriously I have no issue buying stationery but I do not want to receive a list that tells me what brand names I have to buy especially when those brand names are triple the price of the other things. I mean really a pencil is a pencil. Glue is glue. Play dough is play dough. Then there is the 5 boxes of tissues and 9 rolls of toilet paper and lets not forget the Mr Min furniture polish! Honestly I am going to have to take a day off work to source all the stuff on the dam list!
Not sure its actually any cheaper going public to be honest. My salary is not market related but its alot higher than a lot of parents whose kids are going through this school – how do they afford this? How do they spend R1000 on a uniform per child and R600 on stationery?
I am not asking for anything for free – just maybe consider what the point of public schooling is supposed to be.
Anyway I am over my rant now and am off to search for the slips to return the Christmas gifts to afford Mr Min and a single sharpener with cover (which I am unable to locate anywhere).
Laura
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
Their lists really are ridiculous aren’t they. You’d think the school could afford their own fargin toilet paper and furniture polish!
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:22 am
They are rediculous. I simply don’t send the toilet paper and Mr Min. And what do they do – nothing. Which shows that they no doubt are trying their luck and realise how unreasonable they are.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:33 am
And that deposit is sommer bullshit! This is just another one of the many reasons I’m homeschooling. Friggin’ extortionists.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 am
that deposit is nonsense. For what? And as for the stationery list, my eldest gets pencils and paper and sod the brand name. I refuse to pander to their endless lists and demands.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Mr Min?!! You’ve got to be kidding!
Wait til you have to buy blazers! Bradley has to wear a freaking blazer next year!
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Fortunately they dont wear blazers!
Shayne & Meriel – my mom is a teacher at the school so I have to be double proper and cant send the cheaper names or not send
So I have given her the list of things I cant find!
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Oi. Shame Laura. I see what you mean.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
What a pity your mom is a teacher there. Can she explain why they have these crazy demands? It’s madness – utter madness. They want our kids to be properly educated but make it impossible for the average family to afford. I’m sure there’s logic in there somewhere, but I just don’t see it. Perhaps the minister of Education has not been properly educated and cannot see this? I seriously hope I can crack this home schooling thing, I think it will be good for both Josh and I if I get it right.
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I tell you…. the day that I finally have mini-me’s I will have to sell my car to send them to school!
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Was not sure if I should laugh or cry
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Wenchy – we laugh
its more attractive!
Hahahaha Nilette its why I drove the same car for 13 years!
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Thankfully my car should be paid off by then, just in case I will started saving for when Logan goes to school!
Nevermind university fees, let’s just get grade 1, stationery out of the way!
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:29 am
Lems list was like that last year Laura..I almost lost the plot!! Grade 2 is a lot less strict..they havent specified brands! lol
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
Tanya – Camerons list is a little shorter and they do seem relaxed about the names!
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:40 am
Holy crap that is a shoot load of money required. And “name brand” pencils, what’s up with that. Joshua’s school only has one shop that supplies the uniform, so you can imagine how much we pay……..bloody ridiculous. I shopped around and found shorts similar at “Pepa-lina” boutique, and guess what his will be bought there.