A compulsory class collection and a parent who cannot pay
You are a Grade 9 class teacher in a government school in Gampaha District. On Monday the principal announces that every class teacher must collect LKR 500 from each student by Friday for “school building repairs” and must submit a list of students who have not paid. There is no zonal circular, and the school development society has no minutes for the decision. A parent who works as a daily-wage labourer, with three children in the school, tells you privately that she cannot pay and asks whether her child will be excluded from the inter-house sports meet. Another teacher says, “Just mark the defaulters; the principal will handle it.” You are also the secretary of the school’s teacher union branch, and a staff meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. The school has 1,100 students and relies on voluntary contributions for minor repairs.
1. Is the principal’s instruction lawful and policy-compliant? Explain your reasoning before deciding what to do.
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The instruction is not compliant with the free education policy or with sound school administration. In a government school, a compulsory levy of LKR 500 from every student for building repairs has no legal basis, and a list of non-payers creates a real risk that children will be excluded from the sports meet or stigmatised. A school development society may raise voluntary contributions, but only with proper approval, minutes, a transparent purpose and no coercion. If the school wants a repair fund, the correct route is a development society resolution, a circular from the principal or zonal office, and voluntary contributions that are recorded. Because the instruction is oral and undocumented, you should not act on it. Ask the principal for written authority and the relevant circular. Until then, do not collect money or compile a defaulter list.
2. What do you tell the parent, and what do you do about the list?
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Tell the parent privately and plainly: “No payment is required for your child to take part in the sports meet; I will not exclude your child.” Do not disclose her situation to other parents or staff. Explain that the school has a development society and that any contribution must be voluntary; if she wishes to contribute later, she can do so without conditions. Do not promise that the principal will cancel the collection, because that is not your authority, but say you will raise the procedure with the principal. Do not prepare or submit a list of defaulters. If pressed, state in writing that you cannot comply because the collection is compulsory and undocumented. Keep a dated note of the conversation and the instruction. This protects the child, the parent and you.
3. You are also the union secretary and a staff meeting is scheduled. How should you handle the matter?
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Raise it as a procedural and child-protection issue, not as a union confrontation. At the meeting, ask for the written authority, the development society minutes and the zonal circular. Point out that compulsory collection and defaulter lists conflict with free education and may amount to discrimination. Propose an alternative: a properly minuted development society decision, a voluntary contribution slip, and a clear rule that no child is excluded from any activity. Ask the principal to record the decision. If the principal refuses, report in writing through the proper administrative channel to the zonal education office. Do not use the union to threaten individual members or to organise a strike over an unproven instruction. Your duty is to protect students and to keep the school’s finances transparent.