The lycée Verdun has issued a statement following the decision of the Judge of Urgent Matters regarding the settlement of the 3rd trimester.
“While sympathizing and understanding the depth of the economic crisis that is hitting us all, the Lycée regrets the tension and the atmosphere of conflict that the Parents Committee is provoking by propagating false claims and news which can have dramatic consequences for the future of the establishment.
In this context, the Lycée wishes to clarify the following points:
1- Court decision n° 260/2020 did not exempt the parents in any way from paying the third trimester tuition, but rather authorized them to defer the payment until the school has responded to decision n° 229/M/2020 of the Minister of Education.
It is worth noting that, in accordance with the law of suspension of deadlines n°160/2020, the parents have the right to defer the payment of the tuition until July 30, 2020. Consequently, the judiciary decision n° 260/2020 only linked the payment to the establishment’s response to the minister’s decision.
The Lycée is keen on informing parents that it addressed the Minister of Education and informed him that the balance of the its budget had not improved for the current year and that the school is still suffering a great loss for the past 2 years.
Additionally, it confirms its commitment to apply the requirements of article 4 of law 515/96 which requires that undue revenues be returned to parents in the event of a difference between the tuition fees and the expenses incurred. This will happen as soon as the financial statements of the school year, which are currently entrusted to an independent audit firm, are issued at the end of the academic year.
2- The decision of the Judge of Urgent Matters authorized the school to proceed with the registration of the 2020-2021 academic year according to a procedure that will be communicated to parents in the event that the registration is not related to the payment of the 3rd deadline. These 2 matters cannot be dealt with separately because, and as it has been clearly communicated with the parents’ committee and the honorable court, failing to pay the tuition fee will deprive the school of the possibility of determining the number of students who wish to be enrolled in the next academic year.
In consequence, if the percentage of those who have paid the third payment continues to be very low by June 12, 2020, the Lycée Verdun, and in order to protect the interests of parents who have paid the tuition fees by the required deadline, will have to let go of a certain number of teachers in order to avoid a high increase in tuition fees for the next year, or might even have to close its doors.
Following these clarifications, the Lycée Verdun gives the parents the liberty to make the decision that suits them best.”