Department of Basic Education Says Schools Are Not Allowed to Make Parents Pay Yearly Registration Fees

• The Department of Education has affirmed that schools are not allowed to force parents to pay re-registration fees
• The department says it has received multiple complaints from parents after receiving letters from their children's schools
• The department has also reminded parents that parents cannot refrain from giving them their children's reports because of outstanding fees

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Basic Education schools are prohibited from asking parents to pay registration fees to enrol their children on a yearly basis.

The department says it has received multiple complaints from parents who stated that their children's schools were demanding that they pay these fees which the department says is illegal.

According to Parent24, one Gauteng parent says they received a letter from their child's school that stated they owed registration fees. On top of paying the exorbitant R 1 950, the school also demanded that parents buy all the stationery needed for the school year.

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Another parent says their child's school stated that the child would not be allowed to enrol into the school if a re-registration fee of R500 plus 75% of the fees owed to the school were not paid.

Schools are not allowed to bar parents from receiving their child's report

The department recently took social media to also remind parents that schools are not allowed to withhold their child's report because of fees owed.

The post read:

"School reports are coming out this week. Do you know how to decipher the various levels of achievement? Remember that no school is allowed to withhold a learner's report for any reason."

South Africans complain about their children's schools

Heading to the comment section of the department's post, South Africans shared their grievances about schools that are still refusing to hand over children's final reports because of unpaid school fees.

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Here's what they had to say:

@yungc33zy said:

"Go tell the teachers @ KlassMothapo high school in Mankweng. Was there this morning and parents are being denied their children's reports."

@Djbigv_SA said:

"What about irregular expenditure on Textbooks?"

@KaraboPDube said:

"ANC policies at work again! That’s why many parents are taking advantage and not paying school fees. You give them the permission not to pay. It'll never happen in private schools."

@BMLOTSHWA1 said:

"Johannesburg Polytechnic Institute (JPI) in Doornfontein is refusing to give report card to parents owing to even a R100. Hope this statement should be communicated to them directly since what they are doing is illegal."

@shaakira83 said:

"School reports are out long ago. Schools did not adhere to the DBE's timings of school closures. Children have been on holiday for 2 weeks already."

How the Covid19 pandemic has impacted learning, students and parents

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Briefly News previously reported that it has been a long road for many students due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The global pandemic, which has drastically impacted multiple sectors in South Africa, has extended its effect on the schooling system.

New challenges have risen for not only learners and teachers but for parents with children in school. For learners fortunate enough to have access to a school environment that meets covid-19 regulations the additional challenges of masks, hand sanitising and constant social distancing has been a difficult adaption for some learners.

With the pandemic clearly having some form of impact on the education system, the degree to which it has affected those involved still remains. Briefly News chatted with a few learners and their parents about how the pandemic has impacted schooling.

Source: Briefly News