By Levy Masiteng
The Federation of Governing Bodies for SA (Fedsas) has sounded the alarm on the state of education, following only three of the nine provincial education departments making compulsory payments to schools.
Fedsas CEO Jaco Deacon said this week that the deadline for the payments was 15 May. The payments help schools cover basic costs and are legally mandated.
The only education departments that adhered to the statutory deadline were the Western Cape, Free State and Limpopo, he said in a statement.
Deacon expressed outrage at the situation, saying that the departments were “trampling children’s constitutional right to basic education”.
He criticised the lack of accountability, noting that no one has ever been held responsible for these failures.
No-fee schools are the hardest hit because they do not charge school fees and are entirely dependent on the two annual payments.
Annual funding works out to R1754 per learner or R8.77 per child per school day.
Deacon said fee-paying schools also struggled when parents could not pay fees or when education departments failed to reimburse them for exemptions.
Deacon said the organisation made a request to the Basic Education Department two months ago to ensure that all departments would adhere to the regulations.
“We also wrote to provincial departments to remind them of their statutory obligation to schools,” he said.
However, promises made have been broken by the six provincial education departments.
Fedsas wants Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube to intervene.
“Ultimately it is her duty to see to it that children’s constitutional rights are respected,” he said.
Deacon said the departments missed the deadline every year.
“It is time that this be placed high on the agenda of the Government of National Unity,” Deacon said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
