Traditionally, many South African schools withheld report cards as a means of obtaining overdue school fees. However, legislation has changed in respect of this.
In terms of Section 25 (12) of the National Protocol on Assessment 2011, a school may not withhold a report for any reason. This regulation applies to both public and independent schools from Grade R to 12.
However, the regulation does not prevent schools from using other means, such as legal action, to obtain fees that may be overdue in terms of the contract between the school and a parent. It also does not prevent an independent school from excluding a learner for non-payment of school fees, provided due process and regulations are followed.
According to the Independent Schools Association of South Africa, private schools may not withhold reports as a method to recoup outstanding fees, and must instead and must instead follow other avenues in this regard.
Sue Larkan, who is an activist for learners and parents said that there is no reason a school should withhold reports.
“Schools may not even segregate the way reports are actually distributed, for example by making parents come into the school to collect and make a financial arrangement. Some schools for example, force parents to sign an acknowledgement of debt in the case of outstanding fees, which in fact, is illegal,” said Larkan.
A few parents have reached out to Spotlight On Newcastle to detail their experiences from both government and Independent schools.
A parent whose child attends a public school in Newcastle, and who opted to remain anonymous out of fear of victimization, said that from late 2023 he unfortunately experienced financial set backs and explained to the school that during some months he could only afford to pay half of his child’s monthly school fee .
“I would always communicate with the school with regards to school fee payment, to which they understood to a point. I did say that once my finances were in order I would settle the outstanding fees. However, when the end of the academic year approached, we were denied the report card due to outstanding fees. I then went to the school and was told by the principal that I had to settle the full outstanding amount which was R4000. I had to gather money from family members and sell items from my home just to be able to pay it off and get the report,” he said.
The parent further explained that he then found out that withholding report cards was in fact illegal and he then reported it to a national newspaper.
“When the newspaper contacted the school for comment, the principal said that the school did not, under any circumstances withhold report cards, which was a blatant lie. This had also happened to few other parents who were struggling financially. It is really sad that this practice still happens,” he said.
Another parent whose child attends a private school said that she had a similar experience.
“From our side, school fees and deposits were always paid on time, but there was a period in 2022 where my husband lost his job and for three months we could not pay the full amount of monthly fees. We did inform the school and we communicated a date in early December when we would be able to settle the amount, which we did and sent the proof of payment to the school. Until that time we were denied our child’s report card. I then contacted the school and informed the principal that it was illegal to withhold reports, to which he said that it was a private school and that they were allowed to do so,” said the parent.
Has your child been denied their report card? We would like to hear from you! Drop a comment below or contact us on WhatsApp.
Should any learner not receive his/her report card for any reason relating to school fees, the parent/guardian should report the school to the following:
Premiers Hotline : 08600 11000
GDE Hotline : 08000 000789
Department of Education Newcastle : 034 328 4500