… I owe about E12 000 - parent
M- Meanwhile, a parent of children in one of the schools in Mbabane informed Eswatini News that she has been running from pillar to post trying to rescue the situation as her children were expelled from school.
This is against the directive issued by Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, that it was wrong for head teachers to send owing children home.
The parent disclosed that the administration of the school had been reminding them of payment for all outstanding fees.
She said eventually the administration sent all pupils who had outstanding fees home.
“I have about three teenage girls who owe more than E12 000 stuck at home and the school has only allowed the one doing Form III to continue,” said the concerned parent.
She said the one who was allowed to continue might not write her external exam as the head teacher said the full amount was needed before November 24, 2022.
“The other teenage girls have been home for two weeks now. It has been one of the worst days as we scramble everywhere for money to no avail,” said the parent.
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She said life had never been the same as COVID -19 had destroyed every livelihood in the family. She further disclosed that amid challenges, 2021 started badly as she lost her job as a cleaner, which was her only means of income.
“I lost the father of the children as a result of the political unrest and we still owed school fees last year. The situation has been financially draining,” said the parent. She said due to her struggles, she was even contemplating forgetting about sending them back to school because she was clueless about where to get the school fees.
Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza.
She said she was struggling to even bring food to the table and was surviving through shylocks to feed her teenage girls.
Negotiate
Another parent found at the school to negotiate for her children to continue with their education said she was worried that her children might fall into the trap of peer pressure and get pregnant.
She said the week they had been away from school has been filled with sleepless nights on her side trying to get assistance with school fees. “I’m calm at the moment but my BP has shot up as a result of the stress I’ve endured in the past two weeks,” said the parent. She said the head teachers saved her life though temporarily recalling the children back to school.
She said the head teachers had given them until November 24, 2022.
“There is no exam for our children if we fail to get the fees.”
She further disclosed that she was enraged and almost got admitted when she was informed that her children would not be accepted back at school if she had not paid up the school fees.