A DIRECTOR at Liberty School in Kabushi Township in Ndola has been ordered to refund K1,000 to a pupil who failed to write the 2018 Grade Nine final examinations after paying the fees. School director Honeson Kabeshi, 57, apologised to John Mwale, 21, for wasting two years of his education. This is after Mr Mwale, of Kabushi, sued Mr Kabeshi, of the same township, on allegation that the defendant owes him a refund of K600. The plaintiff submitted before the court that the defendant had ruined his future because he would have been in Grade 11 now.

He entered for Grade Nine General Certification of Education (GCE) examinations in 2018 at the defendant’s school and paid for the identification card but he was not assigned any examination number. “I didn’t write the examination. I went there with my grandfather and I was told that I would write in 2019. In 2019, I was told that I would be refunded. “When I went for a refund, he told me I could take any action against him. I have not written my examination up to now,” Mr Mwale said.

The plaintiff said he was supposed to write Grade Nine examinations and it has now been two years since he paid for them. In defence, Mr Kabeshi told the court that he was saddened by the turn of events and apologised to Mr Mwale, saying the managers of the school made a mistake. He said his school was a centre for examinations and that 110 pupils had registered.

“It was the fault of the people conducting registration. Twenty three pupils were left out in 2018 and we were supposed to refund them but I received another list. We put them in 10 groups for them to be refunded,” he said. Kabushi Local Court senior magistrates Agness Mulenga, Mildred Namwizye and Evelyn Nalwizya upheld Mr Mwale’s claim and ordered Mr Kabeshi to refund the plaintiff the sum of K1, 000 by Wednesday this week.