Kids at home as parents, school argue
Families blame demand for fees, but principal says uncollected reports the real issue
AT LEAST 20 pupils at a North End school have yet to start the school year after parents and the principal butted heads over claims of non-payment of fees and uncollected report cards.
Ethembeni Enrichment Centre principal Nobathembu Mandimo denied that pupils were sent home last week due to non-payment of school fees.
Instead, blame was shifted to the affected parents for not taking an interest in their children’s lives.
Mandimo said the issue was not related to school fees but rather to the parents who had failed to collect their children’s certificates, as there were still 21 report cards waiting for collection.
“They haven’t fetched their children’s results indicating whether they advanced to the next grade,” he said.
“This has nothing to do with school fees.
“How can these parents just expect their children to start the new year in a new grade when they don’t even know if they passed?”
Mandimo said pupils who had been turned away last week were requested to return to the school the same day accompanied by a parent to collect the report.
They would then be placed in the next grade, should they have passed.
However, the parent of a Grade 9 pupil, who asked not be named for fear of his son being victimised, said: “I fail to understand how in 2018 there are public schools still locking students outside for school fees.”
He said parents had been given 20 days after school opened to cough up the money.
“When I explained to the principal that I had no money, she told me to apply for a loan,” he said.
A second parent, Thanduxolo Mda, who has a child in Grade 10, said: “The instruction we were given on Wednesday was to pay the fees or children would not be attending classes at the school.
“I mean, you can’t say that – the children have a right to education regardless of fees or report cards.
“My child is still sitting at home because of this while his friends are being educated.”
Mandimo said the parents who had failed to collect the report cards showed they had no interest in their children’s schooling.
“The parents who returned to collect reports, their children are back in class. If they [parents] knew I was doing something wrong they would have reported me to the department.”
The group of parents approached the Department of Education district office last week for assistance, but claim they were instructed to return to the school and resolve the issue.
Education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima said it was irresponsible of parents not to collect the pupils’ reports.
“According to the SA Schools Governing Act, only a parent is allowed to collect their child’s report.
“So nothing can be done until the parents fulfil their duty.
“If finance is the issue, the department has also provided each and every school with documentation whereby parents can explain their financial situation.
“And if it is indeed dire, the department will step in to subsidise or some cases pay the pupils’ fees on their behalf,” Mtima said.
The children have a right to education regardless of fees or report cards
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