In Reply to: School fees posted by interpreter on Monday, 18. April 2011 at 10:01 Bali Time:
Public school between year 1 and 5 is free. Particularly anywhere like Seminyak (there are some schools in remote areas that are not free). That being said, there are other costs (if you have kids at school you know that can add up). So uniforms, shoes, books, pens etc.
Also, money for lunch and transport which can also add up. Kids rarely take a lunch from home, an inexpensive meal is purchased. Many schools have canteens similar to the US system.
I believe child sponsorship programs often 'flatten out' the school fees across years 1 to 7 which works better for the continuity of the sponsorship. The amount for sponsorship each year does not = school fees for that year. It is more like an average across several years and includes other expenses like books and uniforms.