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Parents of students at the British School of Algiers have denounced what they call illegal practices, forcing some students to pay tuition fees in foreign currency into a bank account established in the United Kingdom.
According to the parents of students who contacted the Young Independent, the establishment exercises blackmail by refusing to hand over grade reports and semester reports if they do not pay the fees in pounds sterling to a foreign account, while the school which is subject to Algerian law is supposed to domicile its bank account in Algeria in local currency.
The school, which offers a curriculum for students aged between 5 and 18, requires parents of foreign students, mostly diplomats and expatriates, to pay the sum of 2,990 pounds sterling per term into a bank account based in the United Kingdom, while students of Algerian nationality pay the fees in dinars.
A parent of a student told Le Jeune Indépendant that the school refuses any dialogue and even threatens to ban children from school if parents refuse to pay in foreign currency. “We are forced to give in to their blackmail so that our children can continue their schooling,” lamented a parent of an Asian student.
In addition, parents of students denounce the schooling conditions that they consider unacceptable, with overcrowded classes due to a lack of qualified and certified teachers to be able to teach in English, which forces teachers to work more than their statutory hours in difficult conditions. This pressure pushes teachers to resign and the school struggles to fill the lack of teachers.
Parents also deplored the lack of equipment for the optimal running of the school curriculum. The school canteen was also singled out, “the school serves our children cold meals or leftovers from the day before, this is unacceptable, our children must have a balanced meal with fresh products.” said a parent.
The issue of security was also raised by the parents of students, pointing out that the school gate often remains open and strangers can enter freely and even students can leave without any control.
Faced with the silence of the school management and the absence of any dialogue, the parents of the students have engaged in a showdown with the establishment which refuses to put in place the basic measures demanded by the parents who pay fees. Exorbitant prices for almost non-existent service. Contacted by The Young IndependentBSA management declined to comment.