WITH the severity of the drought high on the national agenda, the consequences are far-reaching, with families across NSW and Queensland struggling to meet tuition and boarding fees.
New England Girl’s School principal Clive Logan said many drought-affected families did not realise that support was available.
He urged parents, both prospective and current, to get in touch with their school rather than opt out.
With farmers facing some of the worst conditions on record, Mr Logan revealed that NEGS has seen an unprecedented number of parents requesting payment plans and financial assistance.
“The school is doing everything in its power to enable boarders to continue their education with minimal disruption,” he said.
“We don’t want to be seen as being out of reach. More than 50 per cent of students are boarders here at NEGS and their welfare is our absolute priority.
“I encourage those affected parents to pick up the phone and consider what we can do to help, whether it be through scholarships, bursaries or payment options.”
Last year NEGS offered more than 30 scholarships to students, and while some schools across Australia have increased their fees by as much as 10 per cent, the 2014 NEGS fees reflect a net tuition fee increase of just 2.7 per cent.
NEGS bursar Graeme Hollis said schools had no choice but to increase fees due to the mandatory 3.8 per cent wage increases for teachers.
“This year we have tried to keep our percentage hike as low as possible, trying to balance our bottom line as we take into consideration the economic circumstances many of our families are facing,” he said.
