Free State principal suspended after matric pupil turned away from English exam over unpaid fees
The pupil at Selelekela Secondary School in Qwa-Qwa missed English First Additional Language Paper 3 on 15 October, and the education department is now asking Umalusi for a concession so she does not have to rewrite in June 2027.
A Free State principal has been suspended after a Grade 12 pupil at Selelekela Secondary School in Qwa-Qwa was allegedly refused entry to an examination room over outstanding school fees.
The pupil was turned away on 15 October, the day English First Additional Language Paper 3 was written. The principal was also the school’s chief invigilator for the session.
The Free State Department of Education has suspended the principal with immediate effect pending investigation. The deputy principal has been appointed chief invigilator for the remainder of the matric examinations.
The pupil has received psycho-social support and is continuing with her other papers. The department says it is finalising reports and supporting documentation for submission to Umalusi, through the Department of Basic Education, to request a concession on English FAL Paper 3. The aim is to ensure she is not required to rewrite the paper in June 2027. Whether the concession is granted remains subject to approval processes.
As eNCA reported on 23 October, the department confirmed the suspension and the concession request.
What the department has put on the record is a warning about fees and exams. School fee disputes must never compromise a candidate’s opportunity to write, it said, and non-compliance with examination instructions will be dealt with through disciplinary processes.
For a matric candidate, a missed paper is not a small administrative matter. English First Additional Language is a required subject for most candidates, and Paper 3 carries weight in the final mark. A rewrite in June 2027 would mean a candidate sitting outside the normal examination cycle while her peers move on, and the concession route exists so that a candidate is not pushed into that position because of an incident outside her control.
The department has not named the principal, has not said what the investigation will examine in detail, and has not said when the Umalusi request will be decided. Those are the open questions this story leaves standing.
The Enquirer will follow the outcome of the investigation and the concession request as the department releases it.
