In 2021, a “general household survey” revealed that 19.5% of learners between the ages of five and 18, did not attend school due to lack of money for school fees.
Financial situations differ for each person and they change from year to year and sometimes month to month and that is why the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has sought to find a solution.
Parents with children in fee-paying schools have the option to apply for what the DBE has dubbed a “school-fee-exemption.” This option gives parents who are unable to pay school fees some financial aid.
In South Africa, public schooling is funded from public revenue, and is supplemented through school fees and/or school fundraising.
According to the DBE, the exemption from payment of school fees is a mechanism that the government has put in place to assist parents to access quality education for their children, irrespective of their background or financial constraint.
Anna Moloto, a beneficiary of the school-fee-exemption says she lost her job when her son was in Grade 4 and that meant she could no longer afford to pay school fees.
“I then wrote to the School Governing Body (SGB) and I received a response where my application was accepted. All I had to do as a parent was to come in and help at the school tuck shop and during sports day,” she explained.
Another beneficiary, Keneilwe Shabangu, says she did an exemption for her daughter’s primary and high school learning and it was approved on both occasions.
“I had lost my husband and as a single parent this was really helpful. I am forever grateful for this as my daughter was not excluded because she comes from a single parent household. The school let me pay half of her fees instead of the entire amount,” Shabangu said.
As much as it works out for some, other applications get declined. A DBE report shows that parents whose applications have been declined by the SGB are entitled to lodge an appeal with the Head of Department of that province within 30 days after notification of that decision.
Here’s how to apply for exemption:
- Parents can apply to the School Governing Body (SGB) for conditional, partial or full exemption from paying school fees.
- Application forms can be obtained from the SGB through the principal of a school.
- Public schools must inform parents of the criteria and procedures and assist them in applying for exemption from paying school fees.
- The SGB must inform the applicant of the outcome of the application in writing within 7 days after assessing the application for exemption.
- According to the Western Cape province, exemption depends on the income of the parents in relation to school fees and here’s how they break it down:
- If the school fees equal 10% or more of the joint income, parents qualify for full exemption.
- There is partial exemption if fees are between 2.5% and 10% of income, also depending on the number of children the parents have attending a public school.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA) believes the school-fee-exemption program is a good one.
Its Executive Director, Basil Manuel, says this program gives children whose parents cannot afford fees, the opportunity to get into schools that they ordinarily would be excluded from.
He is also of the opinion that perhaps, the paying of fees should not happen at all so that the exclusion of learners can be eliminated.