Parents Association Reiterates School Fees Are Voluntary Amid Enrollment Complaints

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — With parents continuing to report “voluntary” enrollment fees at public schools ranging from 450 to 2,500 pesos, the National Association of Parents has reiterated that such payments must not block access to education.

The group’s state vice president, Sergio Acosta Manzanero, said the fees are not mandatory and should not be a requirement for students in basic education or at the upper-secondary level, where the practice has been most reported. He said parents can negotiate with school administrators, as in previous years, to agree on an amount in line with their means.

“What we always say at the start of each school cycle is that these are voluntary fees, not obligatory ones,” Acosta said. “Parents can reach an agreement with the school’s administration and staff. Normally they accept a minimum payment, because the amounts cannot be a condition for a student’s right to education. We have heard of cases in which students are not allowed to enroll if they don’t pay, and we will continue to urge people to report them so we can intervene and speak with education authorities.”

He noted that during pre-enrollment and enrollment periods for elementary and middle schools, and for the semester at high schools, reports of voluntary fees surface. In most cases, agreements are reached and no student has been left out for not paying, he said.

Asked about complaints from other groups that schools have withheld documents or denied admission to students who did not pay, Acosta stressed the importance of filing a complaint.

“Education is free,” he said. “If a school refuses to enroll a student because a fee hasn’t been paid, it must be reported to education authorities. There should be no mandatory payment.”

He added that the association remains alert to new complaints, although it has not received any direct reports.

Separately, the organization Padres Aliados por la Educación (Parents Allied for Education) said it has registered more than 100 complaints over alleged improper charges and will follow up on them.