Cape Town - The future of a former learner at a secondary school in Temba township, Tshwane, hangs in the balance as the school refuses to release his matric certificate, allegedly over R600 in unpaid fees towards its School Improvement Plan (SIP) that was meant to raise learner academic achievement.
The learner, Emmanuel Moiloa, 23, who completed his matric in 2022, was forced to put his future plans on hold as he could not afford the payment.
His sister, Violet Moiloa, said the family was dependent solely on social grants and her attempts to explain their financial struggles were met with indifference.
“The school officials have refused to listen to me, insisting that they will only hand over the certificate once the outstanding amount is paid,” she said.
To make matters worse, she claimed that she has been denied the opportunity to speak with the school principal.
“He matriculated in 2022 and he needs his matric certificate so that he can start a new chapter in his life by looking for jobs that need prospective candidates to be in possession of the certificate,” she said.
Violet said Emmanuel’s struggles don’t end with his own certificate as they have a sibling, who is also facing a similar predicament.
The sibling, who was in Grade 11 last year, is being denied his report card due to an outstanding R300 payment for school fundraising.
Violet said the situation was distressing for both siblings after being denied essential educational documents due to financial constraints.
Gauteng Education Department spokesperson, Steve Mabona, indicated that he will be able to comment on the matter once schools reopen next week.
Education expert, Hendrick Makaneta, slammed the school for withholding learners’ report cards over unpaid fees, stating that this action was both unfair and illegal.
“There is no reason why the schools should not give learners report cards or any other results. In this case the school is outright wrong; the school should release those results,” he said.