Parents will not have to pay school fees at 654 schools in poor communities in the Western Cape in 2009.

Education authorities classify schools in five categories called quintiles, according to the relative poverty of their surrounding communities. The poorest schools are in Quintile 1 and the least poor in Quintile 5.

Schools in Quintiles 1, 2 and 3 do not charge fees in the Western Cape, while those in Quintiles 4 and 5 charge fees, in line with national policy. There are 654 schools in Quintiles 1 to 3 in the province.

School governing bodies determine fees at fee-paying school. Parents have to approve the fees at a special meeting of the parent body.

If a parent cannot afford the fees, they can apply for exemption of partial exemption, based on their annual income.

If the school fees are more than 10% of the parents' annual income, they can apply for a full exemption.

Partial exemption varies according to a sliding scale. For example, if combined fees for three children amounts to more than 3% of the parents' annual income, they can apply for a partial exemption of 22% of the fees.

If combined fees for three children amounts to more than 6% of the parents' annual income, they can apply for a partial exemption of 78% of the fees.

Parents can check school fees and whether or not a school charges fees on the WCED web site at http://wced.wcape.gov.za. Look for the "Find-a-school" facility under Quick Links and select "Institution Details".