College Donation Subject and Activity Charges

Like all schools in the country Howick College finds it necessary to request payment for some subject materials, and for activities which may be subject based or extra-curricular. This is because the level of government funding does not enable education to be “free” nor for us to meet the expectations we and our community have for the quality of educational opportunities. Parents, therefore, may be asked during the year for the following payments.

 

Subject fees: In most core subjects there are no or very low fees. In specialist subjects, particularly in the senior school, it is necessary to pay for some equipment or materials that the students use and keep.

 

Subject-related activities: Many subjects offer field trips and camps and charges are made for transport, accommodation and entrance fees. In most cases students/parents may elect not to participate but obviously participation is an enrichment experience that enhances learning.

 

Co- and extra-curricular activities: There are a huge variety of such activities in sporting and cultural areas which students are encouraged to participate in. Most have costs such as team registration, uniforms etc which the school cannot fully meet from other funding sources and therefore “user pays” prevails (just as in the world beyond school where there are no free memberships of sporting clubs for example).

 

Voluntary Donation:  We invite parents to pay the voluntary college donation which is applied to supplement the funding available from the government Operations Grant and income from sources such as international fee-paying students. This funding is applied to sporting and musical equipment, funding of library resources beyond what otherwise would be possible, purchase and maintenance of ICT equipment (for which, unlike many other countries, there is minimal government funding and on which we spend in excess of $300,000 every year), employing extra Guidance Counsellors, and operating our Health Centre which, with its facilities and registered nurse manager is more like a local medical centre than a school “sick bay.” This donation (suggested amount $245) is tax-deductible.

 

We trust that this note explains the critical importance of the fees, charges, and voluntary donation, and we look forward to your support so that we may continue to provide the best possible opportunities for your sons and daughters.