British School In Colombo Threatens To Expel Students Who Fail To Settle Summer Fees Before May 29: Parents Decry "Rigid And Insensitive" Stance By Principal

The British School in Colombo has sent a letter to the parents informing that those who fail to settle payment for summer term before May 29 will be removed from school register.

The letter, seen by Asian Mirror, says the board of directors governing the school has decided to reduce the payment by 10% considering the current situation in the country. However, many other international schools in Sri Lanka have announced greater relief measures for parents who have run into economic hardships due to the two-month lockdown in Sri Lanka.

Many parents claim that the letter sent by Dr. Joseph Scarth, the Principal of BSC, has baffled parents who are still in the process of recovering from the economic drawbacks of the lockdown.

"Many have lost income and some are in the process of recovering. The school's rigid stance on fees has put more burden on us," a parent who wished to remain anonymous told Asian Mirror.

The BSC is a college with 85% local students and the large majority of their funds come from the locals. The kids of foreign teachers are paying only 10% of the fees and the locals have to bear their burden as well. Under the current circumstances, many parents have experienced pay cuts and the BSC has turned a blind eye to the hardships faced by them. They are aware that the children who fail to pay summer fees before May 29 will not have a school to go and parents will have no other option to pay the fees even by borrowing," he added.