Forced to pay high fees

A BRACKENFELL father’s struggle to secure primary school placement for his eight-year-old daughter has forced him to register his child at a private school, paying close to double the average amount in school fees.

Ndumiso Mbaliswana said he had been struggling to get his daughter accepted at a school closer to the area after two public schools rejected his daughter’s application.

Due to the growing delay in securing a school closer to home and the anxiety of having his daughter set back academically, Mbaliswana registered her at a private school in Kuils River, close to his wife’s place of work.

“I applied towards the end of last year, following a custody judgment.

“I went to the provincial education department to state my plea, but instead of getting a school closer to home my child was placed at a school which is far.

“I felt I was left with no choice but to take her to a private school as it is still within the means of our routine travelling.

“This, however, has cost my family financially as we pay close to double the average school fees,” he said.

According to Mbaliswana, fees at the schools close to his home cost R1 000 a month.

At the private school he will now be paying R3 200 a month.

Mbaliswana also has a two-yearold daughter who is at a crèche.

“For both children I am paying close to R5 000 a month in fees.

“I want better education for my child, and if I had left her at the school the department was sending me to she would be late almost every day or arrive early at around 6am.

“And that is a lot to ask of her for a year, and it would cripple her academics,” said Mbaliswana.

South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) regional spokesperson Jonavan Rustin said it was unacceptable that there were still children without schools.

“It’s February now, pupils have the right to education.

“It is unacceptable that parents have to now send their children to private schools and be held liable for high fees when we have a government that should be providing this,” Rustin said.

The latest count by the provincial department of education showed that over 3 500 pupils still need to be placed. Jessica Shelver, spokesperson for Education MEC Debbie Schafer, said the number of pupils looking for places had dropped from about 18 000 at the start of the term.

“About 80% of those still looking for places applied for the first time in January, while the parents of about 20% of the pupils only applied to one school or only to popular schools with long waiting lists,” she said. – zodidi.dano@inl.co.za