Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department has intervened in cases where schools were charging upfront fees to secure a child’s place.
The department has warned against the illegal practice.
Department spokesperson Paddy Attwell said it was illegal for schools to charge any upfront fees or to charge a non-refundable deposit.
The department has in the past resolved such cases by getting the school governing body to reverse their decision.
“Schools may not refuse to accept a learner on the basis that the parent cannot afford to pay the school fees and parents must assert their rights in terms of the Western Cape school admission policy.”
He said schools may charge school fees once they had formally enrolled a child. “This happens after the parent has accepted a place in writing in reply to a written offer by the school.”
Attwell said parents who felt that their child’s application had been unfairly rejected by a school could appeal to the governing body to find out why they were not accepted.
“Parents can also appeal to the department after receiving a reply from the school. They will need to provide clear evidence why they believe their application was treated unfairly.”
The department also urged parents to apply before June for places for 2016, adding that a strong demand for popular schools was expected.
Attwell said parents should apply to more than one school before June, adding that the department couldn’t guarantee places at parents’ schools of choice during the second half of the year.
He said parents who had not yet found places for their children after June should check whether they were on the waiting list.
Places could become available as parents of children who have been accepted to more than one school make their final choice of school.
“Parents can also contact our district office to check whether their children appear on the database of our schools admissions management information system.”
Attwell said schools had to complete their enrolments by mid-year to plan for the next academic year. “The department also has to know where to place extra resources to meet growth in demand in specific areas. We have to finalise these plans during the third term.”
He said most parents enrolled their children in good time but some parents placed the system under pressure by enrolling their children late.
Cape Argus