Poorest pupils punished
DISCRIMINATION based on race and culture at private schools often made headlines last year. At state schools, however, we find more discrimination based on financial ability.
Even though we are already in the second term of the school year, some pupils are still struggling to focus on their schooling, due to financial difficulties. Some are sent home and prohibited from attending school until they come dressed with the exact school uniform, even though they are neat and wearing the correct school colours.
Some are excluded from certain classes and activities due to insufficient books, stationery and sporting clothes; while other parents are still being threatened with legal action due to outstanding school fees.
Certain pupils are even subjected to frequent humiliation in front of the class, because of their lack and inability to afford these things. Schools have even gone so far as to confiscate the incorrect item of clothing from pupils, and to date still refuses to give it back to them; until the often expensive uniform articles, such as blazers for example, have been obtained.
This appears to be a common occurrence nowadays, even in underprivileged areas. This is of great concern, as many of these affected pupils live in poverty, and are often only financially supported by a meagre child support grant.
Are these and other financially discriminating practices in accordance with the policies of the education department? What proactive mechanisms are in place to monitor the correct implementation of government policy? Are parent and pupil surveys also conducted to determine the incidence and extent of common non-procedural practices at schools?
The Department of Education cannot merely be relaying correct procedures in the media when responding to enquiries; while leaving it to parents to deal with autocratic school principals and governing bodies on their own. Schools who used to withhold final reports because of outstanding school fees, are also an example of such financially discriminatory practices.
The department should have an accessible helpline and customer care e-mail where these type of things can be reported; otherwise parents might resort to naming and shaming guilty parties on social networks. GINO CONTALDI Tafelsig