BY MBONO MDLULI
LOBAMBA – Woe unto school principals who send pupils away for failing to pay their school fees.
This was said today (Monday, June 3, 2024) by Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, who was responding to a question posed by Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo.
Khumalo wanted to know what Minister Nxumalo was doing to head teachers who were expelling children from school for having no money for school fees. Nxumalo said such head teachers would be punished because the school administrators did not have any power to do such a thing under any circumstances.
Nxumalo further mentioned that he was aware that there were pupils whose results were withheld for owing school fees. He said his ministry was already working on this matter and pleaded with MPs to inform him of schools that still expelled learners.
The minister further commended Ntfonjeni MP Raymond Dlamini for having handled such a matter with integrity while he was still head teacher at Ntfonjeni High School. He further mentioned that there was a school in Nkhaba where they discussed with the head teacher and agreed that such a thing should not happen.
He further pleaded with his fellow MPs to inform him of schools that did not have stationery so that he could make means of delivering such.
