Staff Reporter

The Free State Department of Education has suspended a school principal after a matric pupil was allegedly prevented from writing an examination because of outstanding school fees.

The incident occurred at Selelekela Secondary School in QwaQwa, in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District, last week, when the female candidate was denied entry to the exam room for the English First Additional Language Paper 3 exam.

The department confirmed on Friday that the principal, who also served as the school’s chief invigilator, had been suspended with immediate effect pending an investigation.

The deputy principal has been appointed chief invigilator for the remainder of the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

The department said the pupil had resumed writing her remaining examinations and had received psychosocial support.

“The Department is finalising all reports and supporting documentation for submission to Umalusi through the Department of Basic Education (DBE), to request a concession in respect of English FAL P3,” it said.

“This is to ensure that the candidate is not required to rewrite the paper in June 2027.”

The department said the concession remained subject to approval.

It has also held an urgent virtual meeting with chief invigilators from public, private and independent schools to reinforce examination regulations prohibiting schools from barring eligible candidates over unpaid fees.

The department cited DBE Examination Instruction E06 of 2026, which prohibits candidates from being denied access to examination rooms for reasons unrelated to their eligibility to write.

“School fee disputes must never compromise a candidate’s opportunity to write,” the department said.

“Non-compliance with examination instructions will not be tolerated and will be dealt with through disciplinary processes.”

The Free State has 41,009 candidates registered for the 2026 NSC exams.

INSIDE EDUCATION

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