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Media Release

21 December, 2007

WCED finalises budget for no fee schools

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has budgeted R224-million to support no-fee schools in the province in the 2008/09 financial year.

In terms of the Education Laws Amendment Act 24 of 2005, schools in poverty Quintiles 1 and 2 became no fee schools on 1 January 2007.

Parents of children at no fee schools do not have to pay school fees. The WCED has extended to the status to schools in Quintile 3. A total of 654 schools will be no fee schools in the Western Cape in 2008.

Education authorities classify schools in five categories called Quintiles, according to the relative poverty of their surrounding communities.

Schools in the poorest communities are in Quintile 1, while those in more affluent communities are in Quintiles are in 4 and 5.

Provincial education departments allocate up to seven times more funding to schools in the poorest quintile, compared to those in the least poor quintiles, in line with national norms and standards.

The WCED will allocate R775 per learner to schools in National Quintile 1 in 2008/09, R711 per learner to schools in National Quintile 2 and R581 per learner to schools in National Quintile 3.

The WCED will allocate funding in two instalments to schools that manage their own finances in terms of Section 21 of the South African Schools Act. They will receive 60% of their allocation in April and 40% in November for the 2008/09 financial year.

Non-section 21 schools will receive funding that they previously obtained from school fees in two instalments, namely, 50% in April and 50% in November. All schools have to submit a certificate of financial control to receive the allocations.

The 654 no fee schools in the Western Cape represent 37.65% of the schools in the province.

School governing bodies determine school fees at schools in Quintiles 4 and 5 in consultation with the parent bodies of these schools. Parents who cannot afford to pay these fees can apply for exemption or partial exemption based on their annual incomes.



Issued by:
Paddy Attwell
Director: Communication
Western Cape Education Department
Tel: 021 467 2531
Fax: 021 461 3694
Email: pattwell@pgwc.gov.za

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