1. It has come to the attention of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) that certain principals and their school governing bodies (SGBs) withhold the results and/or the certificates of some of their Senior Certificate examination candidates and refuse to write testimonials for certain candidates because of outstanding fees or for other reasons.
2. The WCED wishes to emphasise that involvement by principals in any actions that may jeopardise the futures of their candidates and failure by principals to release the results to all of their candidates and to ensure that successful candidates receive their certificates are contrary to the SA Schools' Act (1999) and the National Policy on the Conducting of the Senior Certificate Examination (1999).
3. The Senior Certificate Examination is a public examination and, as the Department offers the examination and the certificate to candidates free of charge, no public or independent educational institutions may deny candidates the right to write the examination. They may also not withhold examination results or certificates.
4. Schools must devise other ways of collecting outstanding fees from their learners. Under the Schools’ Act, schools are allowed to recover unpaid fees by taking legal action against a learner’s parent(s).
5. It has also come to the attention of the WCED that certain schools sometimes prevent candidates from writing the Senior Certificate Examination because of disciplinary problems. It is illegal to prevent candidates from writing the Senior Certificate Examination because they have infringed the school’s rules.
6. Candidates who are involved in any serious acts of misconduct during the period between their last day at school and their first examination or during the examination period, must be reported to the Head of Education so that appropriate action can be taken.
7. Principals and their SGBs should note that the Department is committed to supporting the right of candidates to sit for any public examination and to receive their results and/or certificates.


SIGNED: P.A. VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2003:05:07