Parents want school to pay exam fees for disqualified pupils
ETENI – Phumelele International School parents are up in arms and want the school to pay exam fees for their approximately 130 pupils, who were disqualified in the EGCSE examinations.
The disgruntled parents formed a select committee of three members who will engage former Phumelele International School Director Sabelo Mavuso, to make arrangements to pay for their children s exam fees for this current academic year.
This comes after the school informed parents that the disqualified children would be required to rewrite the exams. This unfolded during a parents meeting yesterday held at former Phumelele International School premises, which is currently named Cebisa Christian Academy.
MEETING
The meeting takes place three days after our sister publication, the Times of Eswatini daily, published that the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) had disqualified the results of over 130 pupils, who sat the Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Education (EGCSE) examinations at Phumelele.
The Eteni-based private school was investigated for alleged malpractice, following the leaking of some of the components of the papers. According to the summary results, the school attained a 58.54 per cent pass rate. Over 130 candidates reportedly sat the exams at the centre and the matter is currently being handled by the courts. Meanwhile, findings released by ECESWA disclosed that there were no results, which in their explanatory notes, indicated that the results could not be issued, because of absence for the whole part of the examination in the syllabus, or because of a decision not to issue a result for some other reason.
During the parents meeting yesterday, it was decided that a committee would be formed to address the concerns of the parents, with Phumelele lnternational School Director, Mavuso. The school informed parents that the candidates whose results were disqualified would be required to rewrite the exams this year. The school informed parents to bring their children back to school. It insisted that the verdict from ECESWA was still not out, and emphasised that they were aware that investigations were still ongoing.
For this reason, the school told parents that the school was not guilty of any malpractice. Nonetheless, it reassured parents that in the event the centre was found to be guilty, it would make a plan to assist parents. However, the school did not specify nor divulge on its counter-plan. In response, many parents expressed their unwillingness to pay school fees for their children. they expressed their apprehension and wanted the school to provide them with answers on what the verdict was from the investigations.
MANAGEMENT
They also expressed concern that the school was now under new management and had a new name (CEBISA Christian Academy). The director of Phumelele last year confirmed a partnership with South African private school, Starlight Academy, to better their standards and afford locals the opportunity to be enrolled in any tertiary institution in South Africa. The partnership gave birth to CEBISA Christian Academy, which Director Mavuso was quoted as having stated the change in administration would allow locals with an interest in sitting the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination (Matric) to do so. The dissatisfied expressed their discontent on their children’s statements of results which were issued for the learners who sat the examination at the centre. “The truth is, our children are not willing to sit the exams again. They are emotionally devastated. What we need now is results
for our children ± not just statements implying that there are no results,” the parents said. $fter the meeting, they resolved to collectively approach the relevant authorities to demand answers on the way forward. They suggested that the school was alleg edly intentionally stalling the matter. The parents vowed that there would be no stone left unturned as they were determined to even approach the Ministry of (ducation and Training, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, to seek for assistance in their predicament.
DISSATISFACTION
The parents also registered their dissatisfaction on the school’s director for not availing himself at a critical time. They reiterated that they needed answers as soon as possible. On the other hand, the school maintained that the verdict was still not out yet, adding that they would make a plan. They promised that the pupils would be provided their own class, where they learn their own thing to prepare them for the exams. $ select committee of three members was formed to represent parents to engage the school former boss, Mavuso and negotiate that him to subvent the examination fees appealing for the school to pay school fees for the pupils.
:hen drawn for comment, Ministry of (ducation and Training Under Secretary Naniki Mnisi said she could not comment on the matter, because it was now sub judice, meaning the matter was under trial or being considered by the court. She, however, encouraged the parents to come to them to forge a way forward, and the ministry would be able to take a position once they met with them. She further mentioned that they were willing to offer counseling to the candidates, because they understood that children were the future of the country. Meanwhile, the director had not responded to a questionnaire at the time of compiling this report. He was asked to react to the parents’ concerns and further requested to provide a way forward.