CHRISTAL-LIZE MULLER
The Free State department of education has not paid school subsidies to some independent schools in the province for a good reason.
Spokesperson Howard Ndaba says the subsidies to five independent high schools and 15 combined independent schools have not yet been paid because they did not comply with the norms and standards for subsidising public schools in the province.
According to him the norms for independent secondary schools require them to perform equal to or above the required provincial standard. The Free State’s pass rate of 82.7% in the national Grade 12 exams in 2014 determines the standard.
Ndaba says the affected independent combined schools did not comply with the provincial Gr. 3 and Gr. 6 pass rates in the Annual National Assessment (ANA). The provincial average for mathematic for Gr.3, according to the ANA, is 52.5% and the Gr.6 standard is 47.7%. The Gr.3 provincial standard for the ANA for language is 59% and for Gr.6 it is 63.3%.
All affected schools have been approached by the department.
"It is not like we are stopping to pay subsidies. We are trying to say to these schools to come and explain to us why we must continue subsidising them while they did not meet the norms and standards."
The department has budgeted more than R500 million for this purpose. "The budget is there. The thing that needs to be done is for them to comply."
Ndaba adds the department embraces independent schools in the province as they play a critical developmental role in education.
Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the province said in a media statement written questions regarding the issue have been submitted to MEC of Education, Tate Makgoe, last month. According to the DA their questions have remained unanswered. Mariette Pittaway, DA Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), says they want to know whether the department has failed to timeously pay out any subsidies to schools since 01 April 2015 and if not, how was this conclusion reached. Makgoe also has to provide reasons for the department’s failure to pay subsidies to schools timeously and what measures have been implemented by the department to ensure that school subsidies will be paid timeously in future, among others.
This comes after the DA has been approached by several high schools for assistance. Bloemfontein Courant is in possession of the names of the involved independent schools, but the newspaper is not publishing the names in order to protect the schools.
According to Pittaway withholding subsidies to schools and claims by the department claiming that the subsidies are being withheld due to poor ANA results are illegal and failure to pay out subsidies timeously has a negative impact on the ability of schools to function optimally and to create an environment conducive to learning. She is of the opinion learners are not able to perform academically with schools which are unable to function properly.
Ndaba says the department will continue to pay subsidies quarterly to 66 independent schools who comply with the norms and standards.
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