A local father shares his distressing experience of being denied admission for his son at Isipingo Secondary School.
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A 15-year-old pupil has been denied school admission after he was allegedly turned away from Isipingo Secondary under disputed circumstances.
The boy’s father, a single parent, from Isipingo said when the school opened in January for the start of the academic year, he went to secure placement for his son.
His son attended Oceanview Muslim School, which only offers education up to Grade 9.
He claimed him and his son were stopped at the gate.
“This was on January 16. When we got to the school, the security asked why we were there. I replied for Grade 10 admission for my son. The guard told me that he had been instructed by the school management that no Grade 10 pupils or parents could be sent to the office because admissions had been closed as the Grade 10 class was full,” said the father.
“He did not even allow me to speak to the principal. He just turned me away,” he added.
The father described the experience as upsetting and said he was given no opportunity to plead his son’s case or explore alternatives.
“We were very upset, but there was nothing we could do. No one would listen to us,” he said.
The father claimed that a few days later, the situation changed when he was told that that a pupil from outside the area had been admitted to Grade 10.
“My son’s friends told him that a pupil from Port Edward had recently gained admission into the school. This was after we had requested admission,” the father claimed.
The man, who is currently unemployed, said he would have tried to meet any financial requirements if given the chance.
“They did not even give us options. If they wanted the school fees upfront, I would have tried to make a plan,” he said.
“My wife died in 2022. She had gone blind after her diabetes became quite severe and later died due to organ failure. It is only the two of us now. People help us with hampers because we are struggling. I am trying very hard to find a job, but with this economy it is difficult.”
Despite these challenges, he emphasized his determination to secure an education for his son.
“If the school had asked us to pay the school fees upfront, I would have made sure to find a way. But they did not even hear me out. Now my son is not going to school. He has not attended school since the beginning of the year.”
The father also raised concerns about fairness in the admissions process, arguing that local pupils should be prioritised.
“It is simply not fair because we live in Isipingo and the school rightfully is in the district, so we should be given first preference. It should not be someone from outside the district, especially since we were there before.”
He added that the situation had taken an emotional toll on his son.
“My son is very sad to see his friends go to school while he sits at home.”
The father was also critical of the school’s leadership, describing the principal’s response as dismissive.
“We were just turned away like we were nothing. The principal is supposed to help us give our children an education. Instead, she rudely turned us away without an explanation,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former pupil, Kasandra Ara Pillay, who had commented on social media about the issue, claimed this was not an isolated incident and reflected a recurring pattern at the school.
“This is a recurring problem at Isipingo Secondary School. Years ago I faced the same problem when I went for admission on the first day,” she said.
Pillay argued that pupils from within the local district should not be disadvantaged.
“Pupils that live within the area and come from surrounding areas in the Isipingo district should be given admission regardless of when they apply. On my first day there, I saw pupils from other places at school, yet I was denied admission.”
She said her own case was only resolved after intervention from the Department of Education, but not without consequences.
“My mother thereafter went to the Department of Education, and I was able to get into school after half of the first term was over, making me fall behind on all of my classes,” Pillay said.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education did not respond at the time of publication.