Shut school owes parents thousands

PARENTS whose children attended EduPlanet Independent School before it was shut down by the courts have been begging the institution to refund money paid for school fees, uniforms, stationery and registration.

At least 40 parents have described it as daylight robbery, with many threatening litigation if they are not reimbursed.

The Struandale school was ordered to close after the Department of Education discovered it was operating illegally.

The department brought an urgent interdict against Edu-Planet as a first step in its battle against unregistered schools.

The school was effectively shut down by the Grahamstown High Court on February 16 and has since ceased all operations.

But for some parents the costs of sending their children to another school means paying additional fees.

Nonzwakazi Thomas, 35, of Kwazakhele, whose child is in Grade 5, was lucky enough to have her placed at Bonzai Primary School in Sydenham last month, but she does not have money to pay the fees.

Thomas said her child had a sponsor who had paid R16 000 to Edu-Planet upfront as she was unemployed.

“I am concerned because next term my child will not be allowed into this new school because I don’t have any money,” she said.

“We were told at a parents’ meeting earlier this year that our money would be paid back to us, but that has not happened.”

Another parent, Noluthando Nqam, 31, of KwaDwesi, said she was hoping the school would refund her the R7 100 she had spent.

Nqam said messages and phone calls to Edu-Planet principal Charl Meyer went unanswered. “The worst is the school kept telling us this would be resolved, it was a minor issue, we were not to panic.”

Nqam’s two children, in grades 4 and 6, have moved to HH Academy in North End.

Meyer said refunds would be paid in due time and urged parents to be patient.

“The parents said we must fight for the school and wrote letters to the premier [Phumulo Masualle] and the Education MEC [Mandla Makupula] asking that the school remain open,” he said.

“After the appeal was rejected parents still had numerous meetings. After meetings with the Department of Education, we were led to believe that there was a glimmer of hope.”

He said the school had refunded parents who had withdrawn their children in

The school kept telling us this would be resolved, we were not to panic

January.

“When we kept the school open we had to pay teachers but when the time comes we will pay people on a first-come, first-serve basis,” Meyer said.

Asked what parents should do in the meantime, Meyer said he was not responsible for closing the school.

Provincial education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima declined to comment, saying the issue was between the school and parents.