[ 2014-09-19 ]

Borrowing Is No Big Deal—President Tells Special Schools
The President of the conference of heads of
special schools Gayhart Charles Gbekle has told
heads of special schools to remain in credit
management mode as government works out a
settlement for months of unpaid subventions.

Government owes these schools varied months of
unpaid utility and feeding grants.

The situation had become dire as school heads
complained of receiving threats from angry
creditors.

Some special schools were compelled to turn away
children with disabilities who reported to school
on Tuesday from vacation.

However speaking to Ultimate Radio, Mr. Gbekle
directed that the school heads reopen school as
scheduled as government would “make payments to
hit their accounts latest by tomorrow or next
week.”

He stated “no school has the right to turn away
pupils and I am appealing to all parents and all
stakeholders to send our children with
disabilities to the various schools.”

He noted that there was “no big deal about
borrowing” and that “school heads as
administrators have to apply their managerial
skills to keep in the good books of their
creditors” while central government works to pay
grants.”

He added that if that failed “they have to go to
the district or municipal director of education;
the DCE or the MCE.

“When this fails, then you go to the regional
office and when this fails you go to the
headquarters,” he catalogued.

The issues of subventions to these schools that
house and train the nation’s children with
disabilities seem to be attaining a terminal
ritual.

In May this year, the schools weren’t able to
reopen on time because government had not yet
settled its arrears of meager sums of subventions
to these schools.

As priorities for government continue to shift on
a daily basis, one would expect that Civil and
Human Right Institutions and relevant state
authorities like the Gender and Social Protection
Ministry will push that Social Interventions and
Pro - Poor Programs as important as special
schools are not further shoved off the social
inclusion ladder.

Source - Ultimate1069.com

... go Back