Students Pushed Into Hallway As New Zealand School Struggles To Collect
Students in a certain part of New Zealand, Whangarei may have to learn in a hallway or refused entry to particular subjects if their parents do not pay compulsory course fees. Whangarei Boys High School headmaster Al Kirk alleges about $10,000 is owed from last year.
Unlike donations to the school that are on a voluntary basis, course fees are mandatory for subjects with considerable take-home items, like tools for technology or photography. The school’s plan of action is to single out students who have not yet paid, teaching them in a hall until the debt is settled.
Not surprisingly, the plan has been met with condemnation from the New Zealand Education Ministry, but headmaster Kirk alleges that parents who are “really” unable to pay fees can speak to the school about payment options, and after all, a budget group is available to give the parents advice.
But Mr. Kirk feels as like the problem is more from parents who purposely don’t pay because they think education should be free of charge- high school education has not been free of charge since the 1960s. The school used the same scheme in 2008 and 90 to 98 percent of parents paid immediately, according to Kirk.
Obviously, this plan has its nay-sayers. “The fact that this school would single out students who have nothing to do with their parent’s money, it’s unthinkable” says Michael J Koopmans, education expert.
Local critics have made a point to say that there are many ways to collect the legitimate charges: re-payment plans, or as a last resort, a third party debt collection agency could deal with the parents who won’t pay. Headmaster Kirk says that it would not be cost efficient to utilize a debt collection company.
This is an issue for other schools in the area as well. One local school is thinking about not allowing a student to take a course that their parents cannot pay for. “It’s a huge problem that has to be carefully and critically addressed,” says Michael J Koopmans. “We don’t do that lightly.
Mallory McGuinness works for a debt collection agency. She also writes stories on business and finance, consumer spending and collection agencies. This article, Students Pushed Into Hallway As New Zealand School Struggles To Collect is released under a creative commons attribution licence.
Everything You Need To Know About Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is generally seen as a quick fix solution to financial problems. Yet the effects of bankruptcy are long term and can hinder your ability to get employment, house, and any type of credit. It is important to weigh the pros and the cons of bankruptcy before making a major choice.
It is a fact that bankruptcy comes with a number of benefits. First and foremost it annihilates most of your debt. It can aid you with repossessions, missed debt payments, defaults and lawsuits. It can get you started on rehabiliation if you have poor credit.
Bankruptcy will hinder the phone calls from creditors, collections letters, repossessions, declined charge authorizations, cancelled credit cards, and lawsuits. You can also keep your car if you keep up on the payment; bankruptcy will also allow you to keep your home if you remain current on the payments.
Bankruptcy allows you to stop foreclosure and permits you to make monthly payments on amounts you have owed in the past. Finally, it stops creditors from making a claim after it is filed, even if your financial situation changes.
Conversely, bankruptcy law can offer a “fresh start” but only every six years in most cases. Bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for ten years and hurts your credit rating severly. Additionally, filing bankruptcy may require a wait of two years before it is possible to buy a home. Some lenders allow for home loans after one year however.
Bankruptcy does not wipe out most tax debt. It does not clear away student loan debt. It requires that you give up your credit cards. It might cause you to lose some of your things, and unfortunately bankruptcy carries a stigma that can be embarrassing.
If you are not positive whether you should file for bankruptcy or not, get in touch with your creditors to see what type of repayment plan they can come up for you. While bankruptcy is an option, in most cases it should be seen as a last resort.
Rapid Recovery Solution is a commercial debt collection company. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
Bankruptcy Filings Blow Up As Economy Suffers
Layoffs and pay cuts pushed more people into bankruptcy last year, and analysts say that the situation will most likely not improve until the unemployment issue improves. In Wisconsin, bankruptcy filings raised to 30 percent in 2009. This came on top of a 35 percent increase in the preceding year.
According to bankruptcy lawyers, it is not just firings and layoffs that are motivation to file. It\’s the losses of once-regular over time pay and full time status that have left consumers from keeping up with monthly payments that in the past were not an issue to pay.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court information shows that there were 27,413 bankruptcy petitions filed in Wisconsin last year. More than 80% were Chapter 7 cases. Chapter 7 cases annihilate medical bills, credit card balances, and other types of debt. Recent Research by The Associated Press illustrated that more than 1.4 million bankruptcies were filed in 2009, an increase of about 32% from 2008.
And despite the fact that bankruptcy takes away the looming debt and offers consumers a fresh financial start, debtors often remain unemployed and are unable to find employment to get a suitableincome again.
Worse still, unless the economy improves enough for companies to start hiring, there is little reason to think that bankruptcies will go down in 2010. Experts have noted that home foreclosures will continue to pile up in 2010 because people who previously had adequate credit have lost employment and cannot keep up with payments.
Bankruptcy might seem like an acceptable option to get a fresh start, but it affects your credit report negatively for ten years, rendering you not able to get a car, place of residence, or employment. Before declaring bankruptcy, it is a wise decision to speak with your creditors and see if some sort of repayment plan can be worked out.
Mallory McGuinness-Hickey is employed by a debt collection agency. Also, she composesarticles on consumer spending, business, finance, and debt collection. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.