A parent's guide to schooling
Philippa Garson
What age must my child start school? Can I send her earlier if she seems ready?
Policy on school-going age is under review this year. Previously, a child in a state school had to be seven or turn seven in grade one. Now, until the state comes up with new admission rules, a younger child may start grade one if the provincial education minister allows it and if he or she is considered "ready" by the school.
In January 2001 the Constitutional Court ruled against government's attempts to extend its admission policy to private schools and allowed Talya Harris, who turned six in January, to start grade one in a private school. Following the court ruling, Education Minister Kader Asmal agreed to review the age admission policy regarding all schools.
Should I send my child to a private school?
It all depends on the size of your budget and on what kind of education you're looking for. Private schools vary tremendously
- from religious to secular, for-profit, not-for-profit, poor, rich, urban, suburban, rural ... There are plenty of A-rate private and state-aided schools (some with boarding facilities) around the country.
Though often unfounded, a lack of confidence in state schools - because of a perceived "falling of standards" - has triggered the flight of many white children away from some suburban state schools to private schools. Their places have been taken by township children seeking better education than that offered by poorer local schools. While some suburban state schools are now mostly black, others are racially mixed.
Many private schools are largely white, having lost their black pupils to the state-aided sector. It is advisable to first research the schools in your area before making a hard-and-fast decision.
How do I go about finding the right school?
What can I expect to pay?
Many of our state-aided schools - which receive a state subsidy as well as fees from parents - are on a par with private schools at a fraction of the price. For example, a good state-aided school, offering smallish class sizes (about 20-something), may cost R6 000 to
R15 000 per year compared with a private school, offering not much extra, costing from R10 000 to R35 000 per year - excluding boarding, which could cost an extra R20 000 a year.
Can I home school in SA?
There's a growing worldwide trend towards home schooling and South Africa is no exception, with thousands of families opting to home school their children, for a variety of reasons. Some parents are keen to give their children religious or individualised tuition which they won't receive at school; others want to avoid the institutional nature of school life.
For those who wish to send their children to private schools but cannot afford to, home schooling is a cheaper alternative. Several home schooling associations are on hand to help those who choose to go this route.
Although home schooling is legal in South Africa, it is not actively encouraged by government: permission must first be sought from provincial authorities, and
various requirements must be met. Some home schooling endeavours are seen by government authorities as an attempt to avoid racial integration in the classrooms.
Some home schooling sites offering assistance, online curricula and contacts include:
Is state education free?
The government provides a minimum for teacher salaries and basic services. Additional money is usually contributed by parents in the form of school fees for extra teachers - to keep class sizes down - and other resources. All schools charge fees, and the quality of the education offered usually
depends on the extent of financial and other input by parents and/or the surrounding community.
How do I qualify for fee exemption?
By law, no child can be excluded from a state school if his or her parents can't afford to pay fees. If both parents' annual earnings are less than 10 times the yearly school fees (before tax), the child qualifies for a full fee exemption. Partial exemptions can also be made for parents with financial problems. An application for a fee exemption must be made to your school governing body. If the school governing body rejects the application, an appeal can be lodged with your provincial education department.
How large will my child's class be?
There is usually some correlation between class size and fees. The average teacher/pupil ratio in state schools is 1:32, as compared with 1:15 in
private schools. At those state-aided schools where parents pay for extra teachers by way of school fees, and at the more expensive private schools, the maximum number of pupils is usually about 30. At poorer schools, this is often higher, with as many as 40 to 50 children in a classroom.
What is outcomes-based education?
Outcomes-based education (OBE) is an approach to learning that seeks to link education more closely to the real world, giving students skills to access, criticise, analyse and practically apply knowledge, rather than simply absorb and repeat it parrot-fashion.
OBE attempts to collapse the divide between formal knowledge and everyday knowledge, so children can relate what they learn to the world around them by putting it to practical use. OBE requires the teacher to be a facilitator - encouraging learners to find the information themselves - rather than a bearer of truth.
Do we have an OBE
curriculum?
Yes, we do - in theory. Many of our teachers lack the necessary training to embrace the new teaching methodologies required by OBE, although an OBE curriculum is being phased in. When the African National Congress (ANC) came to power, Curriculum 2005 was implemented as a flagship education policy of the new government. Its cumbersome, overdesigned nature and extreme departure from the traditional training received by teachers led the government to commission a simpler, reworked version - Curriculum 21.
Is learning computer-based?
Once again, this depends on how well-resourced the school is. Only 30% of schools around the country have computer access, but most private and state-aided schools have well-stocked computer or media centres, and increasing numbers have computers in every classroom. There are several government and private initiatives to get the rest - most schools in townships and rural areas - online within
the next few years.
The OBE curriculum places strong emphasis on children accessing information themselves, and computer-based learning is a daily feature of school life where affordable. Many endeavours are being made to give disadvantaged children and communities access to computer-based learning with community-based computer centres and school programmes.
- For some useful sites for information on schools online and for online learning resources, see the box on the right of this page
Will my child have access to sporting and other facilities?
While township schools are sorely under-resourced when it comes to sports fields and other facilities, most schools in the suburbs have good to excellent sporting facilities. Space is seldom a constraint in South Africa, and a growing number of schools boast state-of-the-art astroturf hockey fields, indoor gym centres,
squash courts and swimming pools.
The emphasis on sport depends largely on the school chosen, but - given that sport is a national preoccupation - most schools devote substantial amounts of time to it. Other facilities like music rooms, theatres and art centres depend largely on the particular bent of the school and on its financial well-being. Most state-aided schools offer a range of curricular and extra-mural choices in the arts.
Will my child school in a multi-cultural environment?
This all depends on the school. Given that most of the population is black, most state schools are still totally black and are therefore more culturally homogeneous than racially mixed schools. Other schools, usually in urban and suburban areas, are mixed in various ways.
Some state-aided and private schools are still mostly white, while others have an eclectic mix of hues and cultures. The government attempts to emphasise an anti-racist approach to
teaching, but many schools tend to adopt a more multi-cultural approach, attempting to include the various cultures and religions though not always addressing hidden bias.
My daughter has special learning needs. Do regular schools have remedial programmes, or must she go to a remedial school?
It depends on the severity of the problem and on how well-resourced the school is. There are about 400 schools (955 in the state sector) for children with severe remedial problems or disabilities. The national education department has a policy of "mainstreaming" special-needs children into ordinary schools in an attempt to end the discrimination or marginalisation of these children.
However, due to a lack of resources necessary to implement this policy, children who have been "mainstreamed" don't always get the special education they need. Some of the better-off schools, both state-aided and private, offer remedial education in one form or another.
They employ remedial teachers and run small remedial classes alongside regular classes.
Do parents have a say in the running of their children's school?
Definitely. National policy on state schools requires that the school governing body (SGB) - made up of management, teachers, pupils (high-school level only) and parents (51%) - plays a large part in how the school is run, within a national framework, of course.
On the positive side, dynamic SGBs capable of raising funds and offering diverse skills to their schools have managed to turn them into thriving centres of excellence. On the downside, where parents are uneducated and poor, the SGBs are hamstrung from the start. Also, many children school miles from home, making it difficult for parents to get involved. At private schools, parental involvement depends largely on the nature of the school.
Are school uniforms compulsory?
Yes, certainly in all
state schools and most private schools.
Is corporal punishment legal?
No. The South African Schools Act of 1996 outlawed corporal punishment, and any teacher administering corporal punishment today faces prosecution. If guilty, he or she could be fined or even jailed. In 2000, the Constitutional Court threw out a bid by 196 private Christian schools to overturn the law.
Although spanking is illegal, it does continue in some schools. Part of the problem is that teachers have not been given adequate training on alternatives to corporal punishment, and many still believe in "the rod" as the only solution to discipline problems.
How long are the school holidays?
State schools follow the four-term system, while most private schools have three longer terms. At state schools students holiday for two to three weeks between each term (except after the third term, when the break is usually 10 days) and for about
five weeks at the end of the school year in December and January.
At private schools, the holidays are usually about a month between each of the three school terms, with a longer holiday, also usually about five weeks, at the end of the year.
Do students write exams?
The outcomes-based education approach places less emphasis on exams and more on continual assessments of class work, projects and other tasks completed throughout the year. Also, OBE places more emphasis on whether a child grasps a particular concept than on how well he or she does so. That said, exams are still very much a feature of school life, particularly in high school. Matric marks will determine whether a student gets into university or not.
What is the matric pass rate?
The 2001 matric pass rate was 61.7%, up from 57.9% percent in 2000.
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