Durban -
From old bank buildings to bus depots, low-fee independent schools are sprouting up in the unlikeliest of places, as the growth of the sector continues to accelerate, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE).
The new research from the think tank estimates that 250 000 South African children from disadvantaged communities are enrolled at low-fee independent schools, and for a key reason: teacher accountability.
What used to be a predominantly white, high-fee school sector in South Africa now has a majority of schools which serve pupils from middle-income to low-income families, and nearly 80% of the pupils are black, the report reveals.
While Gauteng has the highest number of independent schools in the country, Curro Holdings has expanded its reach in KwaZulu-Natal to six schools - recently opening Meridian Newcastle in the Madadeni township area, after acquiring St Dominic’s Academy.
Though Curro and AdvTech are JSE-listed firms, the CDE identified 11 chains of independent schools which were not for profit.
New high-fee and mid-fee independent schools were typically established in rapidly expanding suburban areas where population growth exceeded public school classroom space, but low-fee schools sprouted in inner cities, townships, informal settlements and rural areas.
Dissatisfaction with the quality of public school education fuelled much of the growth of independent schools.
“Any solution to the dismal education most of South Africa’s children are receiving has to focus on accountability - a hallmark of independent schools. Teachers who don’t come to school or who don’t teach must face the consequences of non-performance, or the system will never improve. Performance management linked to accountability and effective professional development is absolutely vital for the quality of schooling,” CDE executive director Ann Bernstein said.
Since 2011, a new development has “significantly” accelerated the expansion of the sector’s footprint: many more companies, “edupreneurs” and other organisations have established chains of independent schools.
The quality of education at those schools subsidised by the government was closely regulated; performance of their pupils had to be at least equal to the provincial average in the Annual National Assessments and the matric exams, to qualify for subsidies the following year. The research report noted that few of the chains charged fees below R6 000 a year - although only fees lower than that would make independent schools affordable to very low-income families.
“As CDE has emphasised, low-fee schools’ fees can drop if the government increases subsidies and decreases high compliance costs,” said Bernstein.
The Mercury