Cape Town - More than 200 schools across the province have accepted the Western Cape Education Department’s offer to become no-fee schools.
These schools, which had previously been able to only collect fees from a fraction of parents, would now receive R1 059 per pupil annually.
In the Western Cape, 669 schools were in Quintiles 1 to 3 and classified as no-fee schools while 783 schools were in Quintiles 4 and 5 and classified as fee-paying schools.
A number of Quintile 4 and 5 school principals had complained that, while they had been classified as being richer than other schools, they were often unable to collect school fees.
Education MEC Donald Grant made this offer to schools about five weeks ago and asked governing bodies to consult on the issue.
Grant announced yesterday that 216 schools had accepted the offer.
“Given the tough economic climate, over the past few years, schools have been reporting an increase in parents unable to pay their school fees.
“This ultimately affects the income of some schools and places a burden on the school management to find the funds necessary to pay for services, equipment and materials,” he said.
Grant made the offer to schools which charged fees of R400 or less.
The schools would from next year receive the same per pupil amount as those schools in Quintiles 1 to 3.
“The Western Cape Education Department has allocated R20 million for the remainder of the 2013/14 financial year and R46m in 2014/15 to cover the costs.
“The schools concerned will still remain in their current quintile ranking.”
The majority of the schools which accepted the department’s offer were in the Metro North, Central and South districts. A number of additional schools, which had not been invited to become no-fee schools, would also be given funding top-ups.
This would cost R12m in 2014/15 and benefit 102 schools.
Derrick Moore, principal of AZ Berman in Tafelsig, said he was confident the change to no-fee status would benefit the school and its pupils.
He said most parents were unemployed or survived off grants and were unable to pay the yearly R300 fees.
“The parents can’t support the school in terms of school fees. Eighty percent of parents can’t pay that. We can’t generate much even in fundraising because the parents can’t afford that,” Moore said.
The principal of a Delft South primary school said it was never able to collect more than 30 percent of its annual R150 fees.
“We always find ourselves unable to balance our books. This will assist us with repairs, securing the assets we do have and buying the stationery items that a normal primary school should have,” said the principal, who did not want to be identified. - Cape Times