Confusion and upset over matric papers

Mix-up on official registration of college causes grief for pupils

WHILE most matrics entered the new year celebrating their results, pupils at Balco College in Mitchells Plain are still battling to figure out if their hard work has paid off.

Some have been told that there are no results to prove that they completed their exams and others received incomplete results with no further explanation.

Shamiela Pasqualli shared her struggles on social media of her fight to obtain her daughter’s matric results, after she found out that the adult education centre didn’t register her daughter, leaving no proof that she had completed the matric exams she spent months preparing for.

“My daughter started at Balco College a year and a half ago, she did her matric and wrote her matric exams in June 2017.

“All the children were told that they would get their results in August 2017, but every time she went to ask, they told her they would let her know.

“On Monday last week I went to ask why they’re taking so long and one of the teachers told me I had to go to town to get her results.

“I went to town and the guy told us that Balco didn’t register her and there’s no proof that she wrote her exams. Everyone was looking for the college on the system but couldn’t find Balco College,” said Pasqualli.

Pasqualli is not the only one battling to obtain her daughter’s results. Pupil Lauren Dantu said she too battled to get answers from the college.

She discovered she had been marked as incomplete in her examination.

“My family said that the certificate also looked shady. It looks like a normal piece of paper,” said Dantu.

Dantu said she contacted the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) who said that they did not know the college.

She was then referred to another source who informed her that the college was unregistered.

She was told to re-register and redo her examinations at another institute.

Balco College principal Marshal September said that the school was registered with the Department of Education and the Department of Higher Learning and was well known as it was established 30 years ago by those who had fought for freedom on Robben Island.

With regards to Pasqualli’s daughter, September said that teachers fought to obtain the pupil’s Grade 9 certificate which would allow her to register to write the matric examination.

Although she completed the examination, September said the college filled out an irregularity form to say that she did not qualify to write.

According to Dr Mandla Buthelezi from the Department of Higher Education (DHE), the college is no longer registered with that department even though it was previously registered with the WCED.

Buthelezi said that the DHE took over managing adult education centres from the WCED and asked all colleges and centres to re-register, but Balco did not do this.

THE PRINCIPAL SAID THE SCHOOL WAS WELL KNOWN AND ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS AGO