Parents of secondary-school children are this year forced to dig deeper to pay auxiliary fees, with at least one school charging $15,500.

When the Government last year abolished tuition fees in secondary schools, many parents expected a reprieve from exorbitant rates.

But, Nadine Molloy, president of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, says increased operational expenses have made fee hikes inevitable.

"I am not aware that there is any hike. We are facing increasing operation costs, based on an increase in inflation," Molloy told The Gleaner Tuesday.

Auxiliary fees, which generally cover developmental, Parent-Teacher Association, insurance and laboratory fees, range between $2,000 and $20,000. These fees are not mandatory, but schools usually request that parents pay them at the beginning of each school year.

Inadequate funding

Molloy argued that government funding for the education sector was inadequate, adding that schools make up the shortfall by using the auxiliary fees.

"We are trying to meet the needs of our students. If you don't spend, you don't earn," Molloy said.

Meanwhile, Dr Walton Small, principal of Wolmer's School for Boys, says while his school was charging $13,000 for development fees and $2,500 for PTA fees, it was done in consultation with parents and members of the board.

No penalties

He said some parents were even willing to pay more than the specified amount.

Small said students, who cannot afford to pay, will not be penalised.

"They are not mandatory. The Ministry of Education has mandated that parents, who cannot afford to pay, their children should not be turned away," the principal said on Tuesday.