Pretoria - Parents of pupils at Soshanguve’s Padisago Primary School have accused the school of price-fixing after being asked to pay up to R3 000 in school and uniform fees for the year.
They said being forced to buy an oversupply of items of uniform at exorbitant amounts was suspicious.
Of the R2 900 required from the parents of boys and R2 800 from those with girls, R500 was for school fees, and the rest would go into a developmental fund and the supply of uniforms.
“They suddenly want to sell us overpriced uniforms and give us unnecessary items,” one unhappy mother said.
Statements were sent to the parents of new children in November, with the instruction to make payment and bring the deposit slips with them when they came for orientation later that month.
“Please avail yourself on the 19th November with the deposit slip for the finalisation of admission,” read the letter to parents, which also told them they would get uniforms on that day.
“I don’t have all the uniform yet, despite submitting my receipt as required at that time and last week,” said the mother of a boy who recently started his Grade 1.
The parents asked not to be identified to protect their children. Some felt short-changed by the school through failure to provide them all that was agreed upon.
They said there were too many items on the uniform list, most of which they did not need.
“The deal was that we would get summer and winter uniforms which would include four shorts, four shirts, five pairs of socks... who needs that much?” one mother asked.
The deal would also give boys two winter ties, two jerseys, a tracksuit and two golf shirts.
“But all I have so far are two shorts, two shirts, and one pair of socks,” another mother said.
“The district (office) has intervened and officials will be sent to the school to institute a preliminary investigation into the matter,” the provincial education department’s spokesman Oupa Bodibe said.
He said no parent had been forced to pay the full amount and to buy the full uniform.
The statement from the school had banking details and the list of items for both boys and girls. For girls, the school uniform included two tunics, two jerseys, two shirts and a pair of flannel pants for the winter, one track suit, a jersey and five pairs of socks.
The mother of a little girl who was in Grade R at the school last year, said she refused to pay the R2 800 asked for.
“I already had some of the items, and when I went out to look for items of uniform I spent R650 on what I would need and that included a pair of school shoes,” she said.
The parents said they were being oversupplied and overcharged by the school.
“Who needs two ties and five pairs of socks?” asked one parent.
They said they found it easy to believe reports of kickbacks from suppliers on the uniforms being provided, because the normal practice had been that parents went to the uniform shop to buy what they needed and bought anything else from other shops.
The parents said they had the responsibility to pay school fees and make sure their children turned up neat and clean in full uniform.
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Pretoria News