SGBs must toe the line

SOMETHING is amiss when school governing bodies of public schools, that are accumulating financial reserves that run into millions of rands, continue to increase school fees at a rate higher than the CPI.

It is the responsibility of communities to hold their school governing bodies accountable. Every parent has the unconditional right to read the financial statement of their school and this right should be exercised to prevent corrupt practices.

Are school governing bodies adequately researching the affordability of their communities? According to the Department of Education’s subsidy scale, public school fees should be determined as a percentage of the household income.

Therefore, a household that is required to pay more than R15 000 per year per child in school fees ought to have an annual income in excess of R800 000.

I doubt that this profile matches the average household at most public schools across the city.

School governing bodies that apply humiliating practices to parents who require a reduction in their school fees are in breach of the law.

Parents are not required to provide personal information such as bank statements and pay slips in order to pay school fees as determined by the Department of Education’s subsidy scale; a declaration of income is the only requirement.

School governing bodies are free to challenge this declaration should they believe it to be false. Parents may obtain a copy of this schedule from any public school or directly from the Department of Education.