THE National Association of Schools Development Associations and Committees (Nasdac) has urged the government to take decisive action against schools that withhold Advanced Level and Ordinary Level results due to non-payment of fees and bus levies.
A’ Level results were released last week.
Nasdac president Max Mkandla yesterday commended the government for the improved Advanced Level pass rate, but raised concern about schools denying learners access to results over financial issues.
“We hail the government for maintaining good results this year and for the increase in the pass rate to 95%,” Mkandla said.
“However, schools must not use issues of bus levy to block learners from accessing their results. Children must not miss classes or be denied results because they owe school fees or bus levies. Worse still, some learners have left school without benefiting from the money they paid for bus levies.”
Mkandla said the practice of withholding results due to non-payment of fees and levies must be stopped immediately.
“Inasmuch as we celebrate the 95% A' Level pass rate, there must be no conditions attached to the release of results,” he said.
“The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education must rein in schools that withhold results because of unpaid fees.”
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He said schools must understand that learners came from different socio-economic backgrounds and should be treated fairly.
“We cannot have learners denied access to their results simply because they failed to pay bus levies,” Mkandla said.
He added that when the school bus programme was introduced, it was agreed that buses would transport learners to and from school, particularly those from distant areas, as well as for educational trips.
Mkandla criticised some teachers for focusing on private lessons to earn extra cash due to poor pay.
“These extra lessons must also be stopped and the government must remunerate teachers well for all the teaching to happen at school without burdening parents with extra lessons.”
