Cape Town - There was chaos at Ned Doman High School as parents were informed they had to pay “outstanding fees” in order to receive their children’s school report, with many leaving the school without it.
The school informed parents that it would be handing over reports on Wednesday and parents were told to ensure that their fee payments were up to date to avoid “a delay in finalising the administrative component” of the child’s enrolment.
Brown envelopes concealed the reports of learners with outstanding fees and could not be issued without a signature from the bursar.
Parent Shanaaz Button said parents whose children’s names were on a list were told to go to the hall.
Inside the hall, parents were informed that they needed to pay R1 500 for outstanding fees in order to receive the report. Parents were told to sign an agreement to pay this to get the report.
“If our children are on Sassa, we don’t pay school fees. We were told that the school governing body decided that even Sassa students must pay.”
Button said they received no letters informing them of the amount and were given no chance to appeal this. The school did however send out an SMS in September.
“It is poor people, pensioners. People have the nerve to ask how much money are you giving. There’s no respect.”
A teacher anonymously said: “I was disgusted by what I saw. I was so excited to give my reports to the learners, I didn’t know this was going to happen. Our children come from difficult backgrounds. It’s not fair to them.”
ANC member of the Western Cape Legislature Khalid Sayed said the department must intervene urgently.
“This is illegal, unjust and humiliating. Our learners must not be victimised. Schools are told each year to find other ways of recovering outstanding debt as opposed to humiliating learners and messing with their future.”
Education MEC David Maynier said the department was aware of the complaints and was following up.
Maynier said schools may not withhold a report card due to non-payment of school fees, but schools can request the report card to be collected from the principal/school management in order to discuss outstanding school fees and possible payment arrangements.
“After this discussion, a school cannot refuse to hand over the report card. If the parent maintains that their child’s report is being withheld after this discussion, they should contact the district office immediately,” Maynier said.