FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK
Girl-Child Universal Support
Girl-Child Universal Support
General Principle
WEQSC is committed to the removal of gender-based financial barriers to secondary education. This commitment is given effect through the universal fee exemption and the support options provided under this page.
The provisions of this page apply to every girl student enrolled in an accredited class, without discrimination as to age, class, stream, or family circumstance.
The universal fee exemption is not means-tested, is not subject to any application, and is not subject to any quota or budget limit. Every eligible girl student receives it as of right.
Universal Fee Exemption
A girl student is exempt from:
- Any registration fee in respect of enrolment in the WISE programme;
- The examination fee at any qualification level;
- Any fee in respect of participation in the Scholarship Examination;
- Any fee in respect of the issue of a WISE credential;
- Any fee in respect of attendance at a WISE Examination.
The exemption is applied automatically at the point of enrolment or at the point at which a fee would otherwise become payable. No application, declaration, or documentation is required of the girl student, her parent, or her guardian.
The school must not charge a girl student any amount styled as a WEQSC or WISE fee, whether at registration, at examination, at credential issue, or at any other point. Where the school does so, the amount is refundable and the charge is a Critical Breach.
The school may not require a girl student to demonstrate need, produce an income certificate, or submit to any assessment of eligibility in order to receive the exemption.
Support Options
In addition to the universal fee exemption, every girl student is entitled to elect one of two support options:
- Option A — Monthly Stipend — A cash payment made monthly during the academic session;
- Option B — Educational Support Bundle — A bundle of educational resources and equipment.
The options are mutually exclusive in a given academic session. A girl student may change her election between academic sessions.
The specific amounts, items, and procedures applicable to each option are set out in the Secretariat's official bylaws, and are notified to accredited schools through the Institution Management Portal.
Election Procedure
The girl student, or her parent or guardian, elects Option A or Option B by submitting an election form through the Portal, ordinarily within sixty days of the commencement of the academic session.
Where no election is made within the period specified, the girl student is deemed to have elected Option B (the bundle) unless the school is notified otherwise in writing.
The school must not influence, or attempt to influence, the election made by a girl student or her family. Any attempt to do so is a Breach.
Confidentiality and Dignity
The receipt of support under this page is confidential to the girl student, her parent or guardian, and the school. The school must not disclose, in any public manner, the identity of a girl student receiving support.
Stipend payments must be made in a manner that does not single out the girl student in front of her peers. Where a school is involved in any physical distribution of items, it must do so in a dignified manner, ordinarily outside classroom hours.
Priority
The support options are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the annual budget for girl-child support allocated by WEQSC. Where the budget is insufficient to meet all elections in a given academic session, WEQSC will:
- Prioritise applications from girl students in the examination years;
- Prioritise applications from girl students in schools located in low-income regions;
- Where necessary, defer remaining applications to the following academic session, preserving the original date of application for priority purposes.
Breach — Consequences
The following are classified as indicated:
| Breach | Classification |
|---|---|
| Charging a girl student any WEQSC or WISE fee | Critical |
| Requiring a girl student to prove need or eligibility for the exemption | Major |
| Influencing or attempting to influence a girl student's election | Major |
| Disclosing the identity of a girl student receiving support | Major (Critical if deliberate) |
| Failure to record a girl student's election or support received | Minor (Major if repeated) |
| Failing to deliver a bundle item to the girl student | Major |
| Failing to cooperate in verifying enrolment for stipend disbursement | Minor |
Where a Critical Breach under this page involves the collection of an unauthorised fee from a girl student, WEQSC may require the school to refund the amount collected with interest, in addition to any other consequence.
Conclusion
The Girl-Child Universal Support programme is a constitutive element of the commitment of WEQSC to educational equity. All girl-child support procedures not expressly set out in this portal must follow the Secretariat's official bylaws.