SCRAMBLE FOR SPACES: NO ‘DRINK’ FOR ME - KABOYCE HEAD TEACHER

MBABANE – “I do not accept any drink.”

As over 300 parents crammed the gates in search for spaces, KaBoyce High School Head teacher Stephen Shabangu, sent a clear message to them not to offer him any drink. A ‘drink’ is a decent word for bribe in some quarters. Shabangu, when addressing parents who were searching for spaces in Form I and IV, made it clear that he did not accept any ‘drinks’. He said some parents came to his office to offer him a ‘drink’ in return for a space.  “I am not thirsty for drinks and this is an insult to me,” the head teacher said.

Transparent

He said their admission process was transparent, advising parents who wanted to offer ‘drinks’ to keep those monies for their children’s school fees, once admitted. He said he was not part of the admission team and had absolved himself from the process, as some parents had a tendency to visit his office and ask for favours. He advised parents to try other schools, besides those that were in demand. “A child will pass in any school, not because they have been admitted to KaBoyce,” the head teacher said. Shabangu further stated that the school had run out of spaces, as admissions were conducted last December, shortly after the release of results.

Demand

He said spaces were in demand at the school and parents used the opportunity to approach the school the earliest, adding that those who were looking for spaces almost three weeks after the release of results did not know the history of the school. Shabangu said in life, competition existed, even among nature, hence it should be embraced and accepted by the parents. The head teacher added that Form III results were outstanding and most pupils had not indicated that they would be leaving the school. He said: “The school attained 75 Merit passes, 41 First Class passes, nine Second Class passes and no failures.”

He said he was waiting for the pupils to indicate, by paying school fees deposits and registering. However, he noted that it was in very rare occasions that the school had spaces in Form IV. He added that the availability of spaces shall be determined when schools reopened (January 23, 2023). Among those who were searching for spaces in Form I, Shabangu said conditions for those who passed the interview included that they passed under the higher bracket. Also, he mentioned that those who had been accepted were required to bring their symbols two days after the results had been released.

Some of those, he said, did not bother, hence their spaces were taken. Meanwhile, St Francis High School Head teacher Sisana Simelane said they were done with admission. Simelane said admissions were conducted on December 27, 2023, and a list of all admitted learners was placed on the school hall’s glass door. In Form IV, she said the school did not have any spaces at all and had not even accepted applications, because they had their Form IIIs, as well as pupils who were doing Grade Nine. Simelane said the school was among those identified to conduct the four-year programme, hence they would be having double classes in Form IV.

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