One in four Catholic school families pleading for fee relief

Parents of private school students are asking for fee relief with as many as one in four families at Catholic schools struggling to pay education bills amid the pandemic economic shock.

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Up to a quarter of families at some South Australian schools have sought relief for their children’s school fees as they struggle to pay bills amid the coronavirus-fuelled economic downturn.

Catholic Education SA, which represents 101 schools in SA, has told the Sunday Mail that as many as one in every four families at “some schools” is seeking fee remission.

“The reality is all of our 101 schools have a number of families under financial pressure,” Catholic Education SA director Dr Neil McGoran said.

Dr Neil McGoran.

“The number of parents seeking fee remission varies significantly from school to school, based on local circumstances and need.

“We expect to receive more requests for fee relief when school goes back for Term 2.

“We understand that every family’s situation is unique.

“We have invited families affected in any way to discuss this with the school.

“The school is there to support families.”

Dr McGoran said it was “too early” to give a number of how many schools had parents asking for help.

Catholic Education SA announced on April 1 that all Catholic schools would provide fee remissions to families “financially impacted” by COVID-19.

Of the 101 schools, 86 are specifically governed by the Archdiocese of Adelaide and Diocese of Port Pirie, which gave an immediate three-month fee remission to families who had lost significant income.

Dr McGoran said the average annual fee across diocesan primary, secondary and R-12 schools was about $4000 – meaning a $1000 saving to struggling families.

“The COVID pandemic is affecting families across the board and we don’t want any child to miss out on a Catholic education,” he said.

Catholic Education SA was not aware of any parents who had removed children from schools because of an inability to pay their fees.

Many regional and rural communities have also had their income slashed following the devastating bushfire season and prolonged drought.

Independent Schools Association of SA chief executive Carolyn Grantskalns, whose association represents 113 private schools in the state, was unable to provide specific details on the number of families that had sought school-fee relief.