The incident is not isolated, with similar reports emerging annually, particularly concerning access to matric results.
Dozens of frustrated parents were turned away from Bosmont Primary School on Wednesday when they attempted to collect their children’s school reports, citing outstanding school fees as the primary reason for withholding academic records.
The incident has sparked a heated debate about the rights of parents and students in accessing educational documents.
Bosmont Primary School’s fee collection controversy
A parent with kids at the school said the principal demanded parents either pay outstanding fees or sign an acknowledgement of debt documents, creating a mile-long queue of parents and grandparents desperate to obtain their children’s academic reports.
Parents claimed they were in the process of applying for fee exemptions but were never officially notified about their eligibility status.
One parent told The Citizen that they were unhappy about this incident, which was a regular occurrence at the school.
“Every term when we collect our kids’ report and when we wanted to make arrangements [during the year] we were told we’ll be notified but nothing,” said the disgruntled parent.
“Today we had to stand in queue to make arrangements and some grandparents came as their children couldn’t come so they came for nothing cause they couldn’t make arrangements on their behalf.”
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GDE’s response
Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona offered a nuanced response, stating: “Schools should not withhold reports, however parents who enrolled their children to a fee-paying school must pay or make necessary arrangements to pay their fees.”
Despite the school’s actions, the National Protocol on Assessment 2011 provides clear guidance.
Section 25 (12 and 13) explicitly states that “parents or guardians have the right of access to report cards of their children” and that “schools may not withhold report cards from learners for any reason whatsoever”.
This regulation applies to both public and independent schools from Grade R to Grade 12.
The GDE’s position remained clear: while schools are entitled to seek payment for fees, they cannot use report cards as a negotiation tool.
Parents are encouraged to engage with schools proactively to discuss payment arrangements or explore fee exemption options.
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Ongoing educational access challenges
The incident is not isolated, with similar reports emerging annually, particularly concerning matric result access.
Earlier this year, The Citizen’s sister paper Alberton Record reported that GDE was aware of a similar incident at The Hill High School in the south of Johannesburg where parents were denied access to their children’s results.
Notably, one teacher at the school reportedly informed parents that it was illegal to withhold children’s reports, contradicting the administration’s stance.
The school did not provide comment at the time of publication, leaving many parents in uncertainty about their children’s academic progress and potential fee exemption status.
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