Governing body groups advise schools not to increase fees
Governing body groups urge relief for out-of-pocket parents
● In a bid to assist cash-strapped parents, two governing body associations have advised the country’s 3,000 fee-paying public schools not to increase fees for next year, or to keep any hikes very low.
Wealthy government schools have also been cautioned not to spend “ostentatiously” by splashing out on heated swimming pools and artificial-turf sports fields “in the face of other schools struggling financially”.
This comes amid moves by several private schools, as well as independent school education providers Spark Schools and AdvTech, not to increase fees for next year.
The Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (Isasa), which has 793 member schools in SA, including Hilton, Michaelhouse and Kearsney College, confirmed that for the first time its members will levy no fee increase or a below-inflation increase.
Curro, which owns 177 private schools and caters for almost 60,000 pupils, said its increases “vary across the group and are dependent on the specific school’s context”.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga recently turned down an appeal from the National Alliance of Independent Schools Associations (Naisa) to establish a R2bn relief fund for those struggling private schools that are facing closure.
Paul Colditz, CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools, said that economist Mike Schussler, who was invited to a webinar last month, had strongly recommended to its 2,053 member schools not to hike fees for next year.
“We also recommended no increase and the feedback we are getting is schools are heeding our call,” Colditz said.
He said the financial hardships caused by
the Covid-19 pandemic had “hit private schools harder than public schools”.
“I think you will see a decrease in enrolment in private schools next year.”
Anthea Cereseto, national CEO of the Governing Body Foundation, which has 670 member schools, said it did not advise schools not to increase fees, but to “limit it as far as possible”.
“We would consider it somewhat reckless if an ordinary public school took no notice of the economic position of families. We are really emphasising cutbacks and delaying the implementation of proposed projects.”
David de Korte, principal of Camps Bay High in Cape Town, said that since the lockdown, 20 private school pupils had moved over to his school because their parents could not afford to pay fees.
“There were schools in Cape Town that had to cut staff salaries and even retrench staff as a direct result of the drop in fee income,” he said.
In a five-page letter to Motshekga dated August 21, Naisa chair Mandla Mthembu said the payment of fees at some schools was about 20%.
“Some independent schools have been forced to reduce teachers’ salaries by 45% in some cases. Teachers are now in the unemployment line and losing their cars and houses and being blacklisted,” he wrote.
He told Motshekga that Bishop Bavin School in Johannesburg was just one example of a well-known school that was forced to close because of financial problems that were “exacerbated by Covid-19”.
Motshekga informed Mthembu in a letter dated September 16 that her department would assist in placing pupils from private schools that closed down at public schools.
“Independent schools are aware that many parents have lost income and have not been able to keep up with school fees,” Mthembu said this week. “If we increase fees, many parents will take their kids out.”
Isasa executive director Lebogang Montjane said there was absolutely no question fee increases would have to be low if schools wanted to retain parents.
“We are also now seeing a lot of movement [of learners] from high-fee independent schools to low-fee schools, or parents leaving independent schools to go to public schools,” Montjane said.
Curro spokesperson Mari Lategan said: “We will continue to explore opportunities to assist our parents financially in an effort to help retain our learners as far as possible.”
Roy Douglas, CEO of AdvTech, said that just over 200 pupils were removed from their schools during lockdown because of parents’ inability to pay fees.
“Assistance has been provided to over 5,000 families to ensure they could continue to secure the best education for their children,” he said.
Spark Schools spokesperson Nikki Ramphal said about 4,000 families had defaulted on fees and about 1,600 pupils had left.
“Despite our best efforts to support parents, we’ve seen a sharp increase in nonpayment of school fees by parents, while others have asked for a payment arrangement.”
Stuart West, executive headmaster of St John’s College in Johannesburg, said ‘‘the impact of Covid-19 has most certainly been taken into consideration in preparing the budget, and fees, for 2021”.