The Congress of South African Students has made various claims about allocations made to independent and former Model C, public schools. The following are the facts:

1. The WCED does not fund any wealthy independent school.
2. The WCED does not favour former Model C schools. Our funding formula is designed overwhelmingly to redress imbalances between the poorest and more affluent schools.

The following facts are relevant to these points:

1. Key statistics:

   The Western Cape has approximately

   • 1 530 public ordinary schools;
   • 80 schools for learners with special educational needs; and
   • 50 independent schools.

Independent schools represent 3% of the total number of schools in the Western Cape, and receive 0,5% of the WCED’s annual budget (R20-million of R4,2-billion).

2. Subsidies for independent schools

There are many independent schools that do a good job and that are far from wealthy.

The WCED does not subsidise wealthy independent schools; we only subsidise poorer independent schools according to a formula that favours the poorest schools.

The formula for subsidising independent schools works as follows:

If the annual fee per child at the registered independent school is less than 50% of what it would cost the state to educate the child in a public school, then we pay that independent school a maximum subsidy of 60% of the cost to the state of educating the child in a public school.

This means the following in real figures:

It costs the state R3 700 per year to educate a child in an ordinary public primary school. This means that if the annual fee of the registered independent school is less than R1 850 (per year) then we pay that school R2,220 per child per year.

Ordinary public schools are also legally obliged to set school fees, which would go to schools over and above the state subsidy of R3 700 per child per year. Governing bodies should take great care to spend this money on educationally relevant items (such as books and computers) before spending money on events, functions and trips.

An analysis of the cost to the State per pupil per matric pass, reveals that the poorer registered independent schools tend to be significantly more effective and efficient in terms of "value for money" than many of our weak public schools. The reason is largely good management at the independent schools, rather than the State subsidy.

The subsidy allocated to independent schools is only 0,5% of the total WCED budget. If we distributed that money among public schools according to the formula we use for redistribution to the poorer schools, it would not make a noticeable difference to their performance.

3. Funding of ordinary public schools

Note: Model C schools no longer exist. There are FORMER model C schools. Today there are only two kinds of schools, public schools and independent schools.

Two basic costs are relevant here:

1. Teaching posts
2. Running costs.

3.1. Teaching posts

The same formula is used to fund teaching posts at all ordinary, public schools, based on teacher:learner ratios. The ratio in primary schools is 1:39, and in high schools, it is 1:33.

3.2. Running costs

Running costs include items such as text books and other teaching and learning materials, recurrent expenditure and routine maintenance.

In 2001, the WCED allocated R200-million to cover these running costs, according to a formula which allocates seven times more funding to the poorest schools than the less poor schools. The wealthier schools receive almost nothing from this allocation, and are required to meet shortfalls from school fees set by their governing bodies.

HELEN ZILLE
Minister of Education
Western Cape