[As I have said, everything the ANC touches eventually leads to chaos. It is because the ANC’s whole philosophy is based on wishful thinking and unreality. Jan]

Verena wrote:-
Now, I have a WONDERFUL kid in school (don’t all mom’s say that…..) and this is a real p*## off factor… especially since, once my son was partnered with a ‘new’ south-african, and since HE did not have access to the internet and a printer, my son had to do all the work (and mom mind you, but that is besides the point). PLUS point for the teacher – they noticed this and only gave him half points – I like this school……

Sunday, October 01, 2006
No-fee schools chaos
School principals warned this week that the South African government™s decision to award substantial subsidies to pupils in œno-fee schools could spark an exodus of learners from suburban schools to these institutions.

VISHNU Naidoo is growing vegetables at his school to pay mounting electricity and water bills. But from next year the Buffelsdale Secondary School principal will have to find several more profit-generating initiatives to keep his school afloat.

Although Naidoo™s school, which is being run on a shoestring budget, meets the criteria for being declared a very poor or œno-fee school next year, the KwaZulu-Natal Education Department has ranked it as a wealthy school.

This means the school™s 588 pupils ” most of them from poor backgrounds ” will not receive the subsidies ranging from R560 to R629 that will be allocated to each pupil attending the province™s œno-fee schools next year. They will receive R110 ” the subsidy awarded to pupils from wealthy schools, according to Naidoo. The amended norms for funding schools, published recently in the Government Gazette, make provision for schools to receive subsidies based on the poverty levels of the communities they serve.

Dozens of principals of impoverished schools across the country have lodged objections to the ratings given to their schools.

The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) said it was investigating complaints from some schools that were considered wealthy because they had Afrikaans names.

Mpumalanga™s Education MEC, Siphosezwe Masango, admitted there were œweaknesses in the way some schools had been rated.

Pupils attending poor schools in the Free State will from next year receive a subsidy of R721 each while their counterparts in the so-called œadvantaged schools will only receive R240.

Naidoo said running his school from next year would be a big struggle. œThe R110 subsidy per pupil from the department is not enough to buy a Grade 11 textbook, which costs around R160.

Basil Manuel, president of the Association of Professional Educators of KwaZulu-Natal, said 18 principals in the province had lodged objections to their schools™ ratings.

œThe schools are no longer serving the traditional communities for whom they were built years ago. Pupils are being bused in and these pupils are not from affluent areas.

Manuel said some schools had run up water and electricity arrears totalling more than R500,000 because only 50% of their pupils could afford to pay school fees.

Paul Colditz, chairman of Fedsas, warned that there would be a œdramatic increase in school fees next year. œThe general complaint from school governing bodies was that the level of funding from government was insufficient.

Limpopo™s Education MEC, Aaron Motsoaledi, expressed similar views, saying: œEverybody will like their school to be declared a no-fee school. It won™t be an improvement for urban schools. We will buy them books only. They won™t get any cash from us.

Source: Sunday Times
URL: http://zaeducation.blogspot.com/br>[Posted by: VERENA]