Testimonial: Mom pays big bucks

2003-02-17 22:12

Alet Rademeyer

Pretoria - The mother of a pupil who wrote matric last year had to pay a posh school in the capital R3 156.98 to obtain a testimonial for her son.

Laetitia Ferreira, a single parent, said she was disappointed that Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool held back her son Johan's testimonial because she failed to pay outstanding school fees at the end of his matric year.

Johan needed the testimonial for a company in Scotland where he had applied for work.

Ferreira, who apparently has a costly chronic disease, said she tried to arrange payment of the outstanding monies with the school's governing body, but the offer was refused.

On Monday Ferreira's employer paid the outstanding amount. She will repay the company in monthly instalments.

"This must be the most expensive testimonial ever," she said. "It upsets me that a school can gamble with a child's future by withholding a testimonial."

School principal Dr Pierre Edwards denied that Ferreira had tried to make any payment arrangements. He said testimonials were withheld to encourage parents to pay outstanding school fees.

Matlakala Manota-Mookang for the Gauteng education department said the school had no right to withhold the testimonial.

"Withholding any document that denies a pupil a better chance in life is a contravention of the Schools' Act and the Constitution."

Under the Schools' Act, schools are allowed to take legal action against parents for outstanding school fees, but may not discriminate against the child in any way.

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- Beeld