It is illegal for public schools to withhold pupils’ reports if school fees are not paid. But a school in Eldorado Park, south of Joburg, paid little heed to this regulation on Friday when it refused to hand over the reports of learners whose fees had not been paid.
Police were called to calm tensions between angry parents and staff members at Willow Crescent Secondary School in Eldorado Park.
The school’s reception area was flooded with parents and pupils demanding reports.
Those whose fees were not paid were chased away and told that they had until Monday “to make a plan”.
Fees at the school, which has 1 460 pupils, are R850 a year. A teacher, who did not want to be identified as they are not allowed to speak to the media, said fees would be reduced to R700 from next year in an attempt to get more parents to pay up.
The teacher explained that the threat of withholding reports until the learners’ fees had been paid was the school’s last resort.
“We’ve received more school fees today than we received throughout the year.”
The teacher said even working parents who could afford to pay the fees were not doing so.
“It’s a problem we have in this community. Parents aren’t involved in their children’s education. They don’t attend school meetings… they’re not interested in their children’s education. They simply dump their children at the school.”
The teacher added that some of the parents who were at the school on Friday had never been there before.
“Some parents whose children have been at the school for over three years were asking who the principal is.”
According to the teacher, non-payment of fees had a negative impact on the school’s day-to-day operations.
“At the end of the day, the people who really suffer are the children, because their education is compromised.
“All we ask is that parents pay little by little throughout the year. Those who can’t afford to pay can apply for exemption. The school’s governing body has held about three meetings to explain this to parents, but they don’t attend. Only five parents applied to be exempted.”
Two other schools in the area, Missouri Secondary and Kliptown High School, were dealing with a similar issue on Friday.
Gauteng education spokesman Charles Phahlane said the department sent district officials to schools that withheld reports to explain the department’s policy on the matter. “Principals found to be consistently flouting policy will be dealt with,” he said.
Yoliswa Dwane, spokeswoman for Equal Education, an organisation that promotes equal and quality education, said while the practice was illegal, it was widespread, especially among schools in rural areas and townships.
“Sixty percent of the public schools in South Africa are no-fee schools, but even in these schools, parents are still forced to pay,” she said. - The Star