80,000 Western Cape parents defaulting on school payments
There are more than 80‚000 pupils in the Western Cape whose parents are defaulting on payments — requiring government compensation to 96.5% of fee-paying schools. The situation has worsened as tough economic times put pressure on families‚ creating a knock-on financial strain on fee-paying schools relying on the collection of fees to meet their daily running costs. The provincial government said it supports initiatives for a system that compensates schools for school-fee exemptions‚ "as we recognise the important role that fee exemptions play in granting access to poorer learners". "Many of our schools in the Western Cape are classified as Quintile 4 and 5 schools [fee paying]‚ which are supposed to be wealthy‚ but the reality is that they are attended by a large number of poorer learners. In some instances, these schools should actually be classified as Quintile 1 to 3 schools [no-fee schools]." This year, the province’s education department‚ in an effort to mitigate the effects of...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.