From: Daramombe high school students’ Parents
To: The ministry of High and Tertiary Education

Date 26 May 2021

Re: Petition for payment of top-up fees for the first term of 2021

We write as parents of Daramombe high school students to register our petition against the top-up fees for term 1 2021 instituted by the School administration and SDC owing to the following;
a. The call for the virtual meeting was not in accordance with law that stipulates that notice of meeting should be two weeks before the meeting. As such, the virtual meeting quorum was poorly constituted to come up with a binding resolution.
b. Majority parents failed to join the meeting due to internet problems at the school end and lack awareness on the part of parents because of the short notice.
c. The school administration cunningly further requested parents to write their names, name of child and form to substantiate their quest for top up approval application.
d. The school administration and the SDC refused to share the minutes of the meeting with parents and rushed to apply for top-up approval. They resolved that parents should pay an equivalent term 1 fees as top up which as parents we are rejecting.

1. Reason being, if the parents are an equivalent of term one fees to suffice three (3) weeks then how much should we pay for twelve weeks (12)?
2. Mathematically this translates to 15 000 x 4 = 60 000.00, which is beyond reach when our salaries are in the range of 19 000.00 to 25 000.00.
3. The economy has not changed to the levels that the school administration and the SDC pegged school fees top up.
   e. Therefore, as parents we are saying no paying top up fees for this term.