School fees out of line for migrant families

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Created on Tuesday, 03 April 2012 16:07

Written by Editorial staff

While the fees paid by families to send their children to primary school are covered by departmental funding in most cases, it has come to light that this may not be true for a number of migrant families.

The New South Wales government has started a push to make the state more attractive to international investors looking for commercial opportunities here in Australia.

It has even gone so far as to streamline the application framework surrounding the use of the 165 subclass and has asked the federal government to consider raising its allotment of state-sponsored visas from 2,640 to 7,200.

However, there appears to be a gap in the accommodation provided for migrants when it comes to providing primary-level education to their dependents.

A recent report published by Fairfax Media details the contents of an interview with a family from England who say that they are being charged a total of $9,000 per year to send their two daughters to a publicly-funded primary school in rural NSW.

The mother is a general practitioner who services the needs of the local communities with the assistance of a subclass 457 temporary business visa - bringing skills and experience sorely needed to the regional population.

Likewise, the father is qualified professional with more than a decade of experience and is now employed at a nearby rural school - again another profession where sourcing skilled workers have been something of a priority, as migration agents know.

Yet these two skilled migrants who are providing much-needed assistance to their regional community are not receiving the same level of support from the state government, with yearly charges that rival the rates of some private colleges.

Speaking to Fairfax on April 2, the father explained: "'We made contact with the public primary school in the area, to be told by the then acting principal that our children could just enrol the day before term.

"We were assured that their education was free, in the sense that it was paid for by the taxpayer."

However, on the first day of term the parents received a letter that stated they would be required to pay $9,000 if their two children were to continue receiving an education at the school.

The father explained that this was not the choice of the principal in question - the decision had come from much higher up.

"[The principal] has been instructed by the state to deprive our children of an education until we pay up - she has, to her immense credit and integrity, refused," he asserted.

While the Department of Education does waive fees for the dependents of some temporary visa holders, it is important for Australian migration agents to be aware that there are different rates attached for some migrants.