The national institute for the defense of the consumer, Indecu, has threatened to impose fines on schools and colleges that don't abide by the ministerial order. Fines ranging up to 3,000 tax units could reach as much as Bs.F.110,000.
This prospect doesn't seem to faze Cavep president Octavio de Lamo. He's willing to meet Indecu, but says Cavep will fight its case in the courts over each and every fine levied on a school. This could prove anything but an idle threat, to judge by comments from middle class parents opting for private education. "I don't want my children getting behind and then lost in the state system," said one father who's carrying the burden of three with another coming up on the rails.
This is by no means a sun-tanned, gold-bedecked man in a smart (imported) suit who's just stepped out of a swanky (ditto) automobile. Most times, this individual can be seen carefully counting cents and beers. He goes to work on the Metro and a bus. He's willing to pay more, even if it means taking a second job. He's worried that if schools can't get by, rising costs will inevitably erode standards. "If they dealt with inflation, the schools wouldn't need an increase," he says.
People nearby, having caught on to the conversation, nod in agreement. They, too, don't see the problem as the fault of school proprietors, but the government's inability to get a grip on constantly rising costs. "The buck stops there, not at the school gates," says a lawyer, in English.
Navarro says parents can make donations to schools if they so wish. But he's reported to want a 15 percent limit on that as well.
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