A total of 419 primary schools in poor communities in the Western Cape have been given ”no-fee” status, the provincial education department announced on Monday.
This would bring relief to parents of almost 150 000 learners, it said in a statement.
An amount of R29-million had been allocated to fund the initiative in the current financial year.
It would be expanded to more schools with amounts of R139-million in 2007/08 and R237-million in 2008/09.
The department said schools were ranked for funding purposes in five quintiles, based on the relative poverty of the communities surrounding the schools.
The 419 schools that had opted for no-fee status so far were all in quintile one, the poorest. — Sapa