Emmons 1

Equity and No Fee Schools in South Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Sayed, Yusuf, and Shireen Motala. "Equity And 'No Fee' Schools In South Africa: Challenges
And Prospects." Social Policy & Administration 46.6 (2012): 672-687. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Synthesis Question: Should public schools charge fees for registration, instruction, classroom
supplies, and/or extracurricular activities due to financial stress?
Abstract
Federal public school funding in South Africa is provided by personnel and nonpersonnel expenditure. The law has not changed regarding personnel expenditure while the law
has changed regarding non-personnel expenditure, or the school allocation. The school allocation
is developed based on the rights of students, the minimum cost of a quality education, the price
of goods and services, and the federal governments budget. Most of the school allocation covers
running costs. No fee schools can receive a larger school allocation from the federal government
to cover revenue normally received through fees. Schools become no fee schools through an
application process that places a school in one of five quintiles that describe the socioeconomic
background of the locality the school is in and the ability of students to pay fees based on
poverty and unemployment levels. Quintile 3 is average, 4 and 5 is affluent, and 1 and 2 is poor.
Local governments can choose how the schools spend their revenue. Poor students at fee schools
can apply for an automatic or regular exemption or waiver. An automatic exemption, or full
exemption, is provided to orphans, abandoned children, and families receiving poverty grants.
Eligibility for a regular exemption, either a full or partial exemption, is based on the ratio
between parent income and school cost. The exemptions at fee schools were designed to make
public education equitable, but this is proving elusive.