Tuition fee jump

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
26 October 2003

Meaning of life

Tuition fee jump

Award for Reservist chaplain

Outreach

Priests set priorities

Step behind the convent walls

Desire to serve others

Trial for euthanasia?

Interfaith

Seminar on self help in action for hearing impaired

Editorial: Enormous debt

Letters: Interstate appreciation

Conversation: Br Dan Stafford, chaplain to the Australian Jockey Club - A generous fraternity of 'saints and sinners'

Voice of Youth: Blessed upon the earth

‘Wonderful occasion’

Stone takes the cake

Bumper crop of students

Concert ‘journey’ by young honours Pope’s anniversary

‘My kids’ bring tears

Tuition fee jump

Tuition fees for Catholic parish primary and regional secondary schools in the archdiocese of Sydney are set to rise by an average of nine per cent next year.

Br Kelvin Canavan, executive director of schools, said that the main reason for this higher than usual fee increase was the huge jump in insurance premiums.

He pointed out that the annual insurance bill for all 148 schools in the archdiocese rose from $5.7 million in 2001 to $10.5 million in 2003.

Br Kelvin said that the increases would amount to an extra $87 a year (or $1.67 a week) for primary students and $60 a year (or $1.15 a week) for secondary students.

Sibling discounts of 80 per cent for the second child from the one family, 60 per cent for the third, and 100 per cent for the fourth and subsequent children, still apply.

The new fees contain a contribution to the increased cost of insurance of $45 per primary student and $20 per secondary student.

Secondary school fees already contain an insurance component.

All tuition fees also include a student accident insurance charge of $6.

“The Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Board strongly regrets the increase, knowing that it will place even more financial pressure on families that are, in many cases, already struggling to get by,” Br Kelvin said.

“However, the ever increasing costs of education and, in particular, the massive hike in insurance premiums, left the Board with no alternative.

“Quality education today is not cheap. On top of the tuition fees and building levies, all our schools levy additional charges to cover operational costs for materials, sports equipment, excursion and special subjects, such as art and music.

“While we do all possible to keep these fees and charges to a minimum, the costs continue to rise.

“We are certainly grateful for the funding assistance provided by State and Federal Governments, but this only covers around 80 per cent of our operating costs.”

Br Kelvin pointed out that fees and charges levied on parents who choose a Catholic school for their children’s education is the only way the Catholic Education Office can attempt to provide the necessary opportunities and resources expected of schools in Australia today.

“We are extremely grateful for the support that the Catholic community continues to provide for our schools,” he said.

“The numbers of students in Catholic schools across the nation today is higher than ever before.”