Filipino child loses school year due to unpaid fees

DUBAI :A 12-year-old boy faces the prospect of getting kicked out of school for the second time if his mother is unable to pay fees to his old school.

Filipino Luke Raevin Aquino skipped 6th Grade for a year because his mother faced tight finances after shutting down her travel and visa facilitation business in 2009.

"I tried to ask for help from my father last year, but he did not help," said Aquino. "I don't know where he is right now."

His mother, Floresita, 38, who brought him up along with his four-year-old sister Mika, said, "It broke my heart that Luke was asked to stop going to school because we couldn't pay. He was psychologically affected. They [school officials] told me that until I pay them my child would remain blacklisted."

Floresita does not deny the unpaid school dues and blames the failure of her business, for her inability to pay Her current liabilities stand at about Dh500,000, while she has taken up a secretarial job for Dh3,500 a month.

When business was good, she sent her son to Al Khaleej National School, where she paid Dh16,000 per year. But when some of the cheques bounced, Aquino's report card was witheld. "I tried to do as much home schooling for him as I can," said Floresita.

A third school had taken Aquino, but gave him until the end of December 2010 to produce the report card from his old school. Failure to do so would force the current school to ask him to leave.

Aquino, who had above-average grades in several subjects, had earlier been asked to leave a second school because his grades were not released by the first due to the unpaid fees.

Floresita admitted that she would like to pay the fees but claimed her financial situation was tight. The boy, on the other hand, prefers to stop school rather than stay away from his mother.

Flor Pamintuan, Aquino's aunt who works in Dubai, does not wish to see history repeat itself. "Please help my nephew as the rest of the family is in financial trouble," Pamintuan said.

"I don't want to see him being asked to leave school again."

Readers who wish to help may contact the child's mother Floresita on 050 2950114.