Private schools in Costa Blanca's Marina Baixa continue to charge monthly fees during lockdown

A MOTHER has hit out at the private education sector in Marina Baixa claiming schools are continuing to collect fees during the State of Alarm, ‘the worst world crisis since the Second World War.’

The woman, whose child is a pupil at Elian’s British School La Nucía, said “education, whether private or public, must instil values in its students,” among those she said is “solidarity.”
She highlighted the efforts of hundreds of people making items to protect against the virus or making “altruistic donations” in other ways.
Speaking to Informacion, she said this solidarity is not being shown by the directors and owners of the private education centres in that they have not agreed to reduce the fees, “nor offer solutions to those families who are seeing their economy affected by this situation.”
Another parent, Venancio Morollón, whose son is studying at the same school has written a personal letter to the management, pointing out his current economic situation, due to the health crisis, making it difficult for him to pay the monthly fees. He has asked that the next instalments not be taken from his bank.
In response, the school director said they understood the situation, but said the parent’s son would be removed from the registration list for the 2020-2021 school year.
Due to the situation of confinement, the entire educational community (public and private) continues to provide classes via videoconferencing, chats and e-mail.
Private institutions say they are placing greater emphasis on ensuring that students continue to receive the necessary material to continue studying.
But parents have stressed that “the added values that made them choose private education are the facilities, the personalised attention and the complementary activities it offers,” elements that are currently missing from their children’s education.
More than 140 families of pupils at Elian’s British School joined a WhatsApp group to coordinate their requests.
And in a joint letter, they asked that dining room and transportation fees for example, be reduced while the school’s doors are closed, and monthly fees be suspended.
But school representatives replied that the fees would remain unchanged, only the canteen and school transport services would be discounted and early childhood (one and two-year-old) parents would no longer be charged.
This appears to be the same for all private schools in the Marina Baixa region.