Don’t penalise children, withhold their results slips over unpaid school fees. Go after the parents instead

I was appalled to read the Ministry of Education’s (MOE’s) explanation for withholding the original Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results slip of a child whose parents did not pay miscellaneous fees and to learn that this has been a longstanding practice (“‘Longstanding practice’ to withhold original PSLE results slips due to unpaid school fees: MOE”; Nov 27).

MOE said that the policy was not about recovering money, but about the principle of Singaporeans fulfilling their obligation to pay a small fee for heavily subsidised education.

This smacks of a transactional approach with little consideration for the possible immediate and long-term impact on the children involved.

It also raises serious questions.

Why is MOE punishing an innocent child for his or her parent’s inability to pay fees?

Has MOE considered the emotions and sense of loss that the child has to face in receiving a different results slip from his or her schoolmates'?

Is that not akin to shaming the innocent child in front of his or her schoolmates over a matter beyond his or her control?

Is this the kind of education system and values that we want our young children to grow up with and believe in?

And how does withholding the original results slip help in making parents pay overdue fees when it is not necessary for admission into secondary school? 

MOE has every right to go after parents who do not pay their children’s school fees, but penalising innocent children is wrong in many ways.

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