Cape Town - A group of parents has slammed the actions of a principal forcing them to collect their children’s report cards from the school in person.
And they were also angry about the unprecedented step at Maitland High School that had resulted in pupils “barred” from the school because their parents had not collected progress reports.
Principal Riedwaan Kenny
had reportedly refused to allow the children to return to the school until their parents collected their reports.
Nomathemba Sothomela, an unemployed mother from Langa, said she had to borrow money to travel to the school to fetch her son’s progress report.
He had not been allowed to attend school since Wednesday.
“I only want an education for my son. Because of apartheid hardships, I never had the opportunity to attend school. Now all have equal rights to be educated and yet my son is chased away from school. I want the principal to tell me how he is going to create a better future for my son by chasing him away from school?” Sothomela asked.
Single mother Lesleen Singlee had to give up a day’s wages to collect her daughter’s report.
She works in a salon, and is paid on commission. “It’s on a no-work, no-pay basis.”
Singlee’s daughter is in matric and believes “education is a basic right”. “My daughter should not be prevented from attending school as the mock-exams are around the corner.
“I don’t understand why my daughter has been chased away, when we have a constitution that should prevent this. Everyone has a right to education and to be at school.
“When I visited Robben Island in February, it dawned on me that Nelson Mandela wanted to create a brighter future for our children; now they are being chased away.”
Singlee said teachers to whom she spoke said they could not tell her when her daughter would be allowed to return to school.
An angry Alex Kasongo, queuing outside the office, said: “This is not acceptable. I had to stay out of work to collect a report. As a foreigner, I can easily lose my job. “How will I be able to support my family then?
“Everything stops because of this; now I won’t get paid for the day. The teachers could have given my son the report. How can they chase the kids away?”
When the Cape Argus visited the school, the principal and his deputy declined to comment, hurriedly leaving the school premises.
Jessica Shelver, spokeswoman for education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said: “Schools may only send learners home if they are sick or have been suspended due to serious misconduct. Schools may not withhold reports. The school has denied withholding reports.
“According to the school, they asked parents to collect reports, where necessary, so that they could use the opportunity to discuss any issues with the parents. Maitland (High School) has found that this is often the only way to get parents to visit the school.”
She said the district office would discuss the matter further with the school.
Cape Argus