Fees scrapped at Cape schools
20 June 2006
Parents of almost 150 000 schoolchildren at 419 primary schools in the Western Cape will no longer have to pay school fees, with the Western Cape education department allocating R29-million to fund no-fee schools this financial year, focusing on the poorest schools.
The department plans to provide R139-million in 2007/08 and R237-million in 2008/09 to expand the no-fee initiative to more schools in the next three years.
Schools are ranked in five categories for funding purposes, based on the relative poverty of the communities they serve. The poorest schools fall into category one, and the wealthiest category five. The 419 no-fee schools fall into the first category.
The department will allocate R527 for each child this year, and plans to expand the programme to cover 37.6% percent of pupils in 2007, increasing the allocation to at least R554 per child.
"The department plans to allocate R772 per learner at schools on quintile one, R711
in quintile two and R581 in quintile three," a department spokesperson said.
At a special function yesterday, Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Education MEC Cameron Dugmore handed over a cheque of R328 350 to the Paulus Joubert Primary School in Paarl.
The MEC said the provincial government had invited more than 424 schools to opt for no-fee status earlier this year and 419 schools applied.
"About 146 000 learners attend these schools, representing about 15.9% of the total number of learners in the Western Cape," Dugmore said. "No-fee status took effect at these schools from 1 May 2006.
"The allocation to Paulus Joubert Primary School will increase from R243 775 in September 2005 to R524 365 in 2006/07, thanks to the schools new 'no-fee' status. In effect, the allocation per learner at the school has increased from R282 per learner to R527."
He said parents should no longer apply for exemption from paying school fees at the no-fee schools, and that at schools
still charging fees it remained the principals' duty to tell parents of their right to apply for full or partial exemption.
"No school may refuse entry to a learner because their parents cannot afford the fees," he said. "Where fees are charged, parents must continue paying these fees, and should attend annual budget meetings and contribute to determining fees. They have a right to full information on how the school budget is being used."
Source: BuaNews
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