Cape to push no-fee school model

MOST of the 1,452 schools in the Western Cape will become no-fee schools as the provincial education department plans to increase the number of no-fee schools by 200 next year.

CAPE TOWN — A majority of the 1,452 schools in the Western Cape will become no-fee schools as the provincial education department plans to increase the number of no-fee schools (669) by an additional 200 next year.

Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant said yesterday the move is part of an initiative to alleviate the funding challenges of some of the 800 fee-paying schools. He said the department had set aside allocations that will cost about R19m for the remainder of the 2013-14 financial year and R46m in 2014-15.

The no-fee-paying schools are classified under quintiles 1,2 and 3, while fee-paying schools fall under quintiles 4 and 5. The quintile system determines financial support levels.

Mr Grant’s announcement comes a few weeks after Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said that the idea of no-fee schools was having the unintended consequence of disadvantaging pupils at those schools.

Reports emerged earlier this year that some no-fee schools were asking parents to pay fees even though it is illegal to do so. Most of these schools cannot even buy necessities such as chalk because of a funding shortage.

The government recently published guidelines on how parents can be asked to make contributions. The guidelines, “in support of the concept of schools raising funds”, are aimed at ensuring they can secure money for additional activities while ensuring that there is no victimisation or exclusion of pupils whose parents are unable to contribute.

Last month, Ms Motshekga announced that the national Department of Education was planning to do away with the quintile system in favour of a two-category system — no-fee schools and fee-charging schools.

Mr Grant said yesterday that the provincial education department had offered more than 200 schools in quintiles 4 and 5 the opportunity of applying to become no-fee schools from January 1 next year. This opportunity was for schools that charged annual fees of R400 or less.

“Essentially, this offer means that parents at over 200 schools accommodating nearly 170,000 learners could opt for their schools to become no-fee schools and will therefore now not have to pay school fees.

“They will also not have to apply for exemption from paying these fees,” he said.

Mr Grant said that while it was difficult for the provincial education department to change the quintile status of a school, the provincial education MEC may declare additional schools as nofee schools in terms of the South African Schools Act after consultation the relevant school governing bodies.

“Parents will have to agree to the application for no-fee status at a meeting... ,” Mr Grant said.

He said that the department would consider offering more schools this opportunity as funds become available.

“The reality is that we are living in tough economic times and … many parents simply cannot afford to pay their school fees. This ultimately affects some schools’ income and places a burden on the school management.”