MINISTER OF EDUCATION Ronald Jones has rapped primary school principals for expensive graduation ceremonies that are unaffordable to some parents and forcing others to dig deep into their pockets.
In a strong rebuke of the practice yesterday, Jones reminded principals it was not about them, and not for their own glorification.
Digressing from his prepared text as he addressed about 170 new teachers enrolling at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Jones abhorred the popular trend in which he said schools were asking children to pay “ridiculous amounts of money” to graduate, resulting in parents having to spend as much as $200 in some instances, while the school was shelling out as much as $15 000 for the event.
He described them as “graduation fiascos” and “foolishness . . . that cannot be right” but linked it all with the “me or I syndrome” being seen nowadays. (GC)
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