As thousands of pupils prepare to start new grades when schools reopen next week, two Eastern Cape pupils are yet to receive their reports, which have allegedly been held back by the school as their mother owed R900 in school fees.
The 50-year-old single mother of seven from Mthatha, who survives by selling apples, said she had two children who are enrolled at Ngubesizwe Secondary School and had to pay an annual fee of R450 for each.
“I do not make much money from selling apples and I have a large family to look after. I went to the school to request their reports and the principal said I needed to pay the R900 I owed for school fees.
“I tried to make arrangements with him but my pleas fell on deaf ears. They are supposed to start Grade 8 and 12 if they have passed. I explained to the principal that I wanted to transfer the one who will be in Grade 12 to another school as her aunt had offered to pay for her school fees, but he refused to give me the transfer letter,” said the mother who asked not to be named to protect the identities of her children.
She said this was a struggle every year as she had to hustle to get the fees before she could get the reports.
“Initially, I had three children at the school but the other one dropped out last year when she did not get her report as I could not afford to pay R1,350. I was going to send her to my relatives but the principal refused to give us a transfer letter and now she is just sitting at home doing nothing,” she said.
The mother said only two of her children received the government grant.
“Things are not easy at all. There are times when I come home with only R50 and my other children are struggling to get work. What is hurting me the most is the fact that other parents are able to make arrangements with no hassles. It's very sad to be poor in SA as no-one listens to you. All I want is a better future for my children,” she said.
Eastern Cape education spokesperson Vuyiseka Mboxela said it was against the law for a school to hold back a report of any pupil for non-payment of school fees.
‘We are going to follow this matter up and we trust that our interactions with the parent and the district director will yield positive results,” she said.
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