Parents of Vulemehlo Combined School have raised their grievances about the school withholding stationery due to lack of paying a development fund.
The school management and teachers have allegedly made the decision to not give textbooks and exercise books to learners whose parents could not pay the money. Some of the parents shared their concern on social media, seeking help.
According to a parent, Joyce Nonyane (not her real name), the school is punishing learners for things beyond their control. Nonyane said the fundraising fee is an initiative that was introduced to help improve the learning environment and equipment for all learners.
“We agreed on paying R150 per child. As parents we are aware that we came up with the idea to try improve the infrastructure and to add more learning materials to help our kids get a better education. When we made this agreement, we were aware that not all of us would be able to afford it, however, we did not know that the kids would be made to suffer because of this initiative.
Most of these kids that did not pay come from disadvantaged families. Some their parents lost their jobs due to Covid-19. Even if they got a grant, they had to use the money for food. They are facing a difficult situation and cannot let their kids starve,” she explained.
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She said it is impossible for these learners to progress without stationery and books. According to the post shared on Facebook, some of the parents are willing to pay R100 and pay the rest later. However, the school is said to not have accepted this offer.
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The Department of Education’s spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, said withholding school supplies is against the law.
“The position of the department is that there must be no reason whatsoever to withhold stationery or report cards for learners. Any school that does so will be contravening the laws of the country.”
Zwane said the department has directed the district office to get a full report from the school and to ensure that all parents are assisted accordingly.
