Education Minister Naledi Pandor has asked the department of education to draw up a plan that will subsidise well-to-do schools to enrol poor learners.
Pandor “recognises that the number of fee exemptions granted at certain schools is becoming a burden on their school finances”, the ministry said in a statement.
Most parents contribute by paying the compulsory school fees set by a general meeting of parents in terms of the Schools Act. The right to charge school fees is matched by an obligation to exempt parents who cannot afford to pay school fees.
The in-built principle in the department’s funding policy has been that the higher the fees set by a school, the greater the number of parents who will be exempted – thus deterring schools from increasing their fees.
However, in practice the idea has not yielded the anticipated results as school fees at public schools continue to climb.
A number of recent reports have suggested that the cost of textbooks and educational tours and other excursions will inflate school fees in the new year.
“I am aware that the new exemption regulations may reduce the income that schools receive from school fees,” she said. “I urge parents, school governing bodies and schools to raise funds by means of voluntary contributions to make up for any deficit.”
Neither the amended Schools Act nor the new Exemption Regulations should lead to an increase in school fees. The new regulations merely clarify an already existing provision in regard to the levying of school fees.
“I would like to caution parents”, Pandor said, “that any increase in school fees might make it necessary for a school to grant fee exemptions to more parents.”
Pressure and concern expressed by members of the public about failure by some schools to exempt poor parents from paying school fees has forced the department of education to review regulations on exemptions.
The reluctance by some principals to comply with the regulations contradicted the department’s “access to free basic education” policy as contained in the South African Schools Act (SASA).
The 2003 Review on the Resourcing, Financing and Costs of Education in Public Schools was very widely consulted and resulted in an “Action Plan” for improving access to free basic education for all. The review found the following:
Parents who were unable to pay school fees were treated unfairly;
Schools came up with all kinds of “hidden” expenses;
Persons receiving grants on behalf of learners were not exempted;
Schools did not inform parents of their right to apply for exemption;
Schools discriminated against learners whose parents had not paid or were unable to pay school fees; and
In some cases, parents were taken to court unnecessarily and their property was attached because of non-payment of school fees.
The review process and further consultation with various stakeholders culminated in the amendment of the South African Schools Act, No. 84 of 1996, by the Education Laws Amendment Act, No. 24 of 2005, the new Norms and Standards for School Funding and, finally, the new Regulations Relating to the Exemption of Parents from Payment of School Fees, published under General Notice No.1052 (Government Gazette No. 29311 of October 18 2006).
“I hope that the new regulations will make schooling more accessible to all,” Pandor said.
These new regulations are an improvement on what was previously available. They contain a formula that can be used to determine the extent of exemption that can be granted to a parent, taking into account two parents’ joint income, the number of children that a parent has at public schools and any additional monetary amounts that a parent contributes to the school.