A Grade R parent has raised his concern after he was told by a local primary school his son needs more than 28 items as requirements.
The school, known to Witbank News listed some of the requirement as:
500 photocopy sheets, toilets paper, two boxes of tissues, four art liners (red, black, green and blue), three magazines, ten HB pencils, one box of oil pastel crayons, three glue sticks, two ponel glue, two erasers, three pair of scissors, two sharpeners, one wood puzzles, animal wood puzzle, number wood puzzles, one colouring book, (240 pages), jumbo crayons, two quire note book, one flip file, 20 laminating pouches, three big sell tape (transparent), one chair bag, cotton wool of any colour, one story book (in IsiZulu, IsiPedi or English), two packets of candles, broom, bucket, scrubbing, one litre of paraffin, one big sunlight liquid, a face cloth, a bar of soap, toys- hoops cars, castle blocks, water set, tea set, an empty cornflakes box covered and 20 bottle tops.
The parents are required to buy all the stationery by the end of February. Another issue that got the parent fuming was the fact the requirement list was written on a piece of paper without the school’s letter head. He reported the matter at the department of Education circuit office and was issued with a letter complying the school to use proper letterheads. It reads:
“Only the school letterhead is the official communiqué to the parent or the community. Please assist any other departments within the school to use school letterheads.”
The parent wants to find out why the school will need three pair of scissors and why not one, what are the candles used for and the paraffin, the broom, bucket and the other items.
“Do the department of education not supply the schools with cleaning materials? If my child needs so many items for Grade R, I wander what would be the requirements when he reaches Grade 12,” he wondered.
A lot of parents have also raised their concerns about the requirements of their children in Grade R and in some pre-schools. They wonder why they pay so much school fees and yet they are required to pay so much of the other items.
A questionnaire has been sent to the department of education for their response and nothing was received from them.
