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According to Fedsas, seven of South Africa’s nine provincial education departments have again failed to pay over the full resource allocations to public schools.
Dr. Jaco Deacon, chief executive of Fedsas, says that this money should have been in schools’ bank accounts by 15 May in terms of the National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF).
“Seven of the nine provincial education departments have again chosen to withhold tax money from public schools. We are of course talking about the resource allocations that must be paid to public schools every year in May and November. This is a legal provision, not pocket money.”
According to Fedsas, only public schools in the Western Cape and Northern Cape received their full payments. In Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, schools have apparently not yet received any payment. In Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State, only a portion of the money was transferred.
Every public school is supposed to receive an award per learner. The amount depends on the school’s quintile. Quintile 1 to 3 schools may not charge school fees and therefore receive a larger amount per learner than quintile 4 and 5 schools, which may charge school fees.
Deacon says that although provincial education departments may withhold the portion for learning and teaching support material (Loom), this may only happen if the prescribed process to appoint a central supplier has been followed and school governing bodies have been consulted.
According to Fedsas, however, the Free State education department unilaterally decided to withhold the Loom section, without formal communication to schools.
“Governing bodies’ powers have been summarily withdrawn. Fedsas gave the Free State education department 24 hours last week to confirm in writing that the full amount will indeed be paid. We have met with them in the meantime and there is progress, but no payments yet. Fedsas is still considering an urgent court application if the department does not change its mind.”
According to Fedsas, the state’s total NNSSF obligation amounts to more than R21 billion this year. Deacon says for school managers this amounts to about R9 per learner per school day for no-fee schools – provided the money is actually paid.
He says the current funding system no longer works properly and that the process of developing a new model for school funding and job provision must be completed urgently.
“The current NNSSF model is based on a distribution of 60% of learners in quintile 1 to 3 schools and 40% in quintile 4 to 5 schools. According to the latest data, around 85% of learners are currently in quintile 1 to 3 schools.”
According to Deacon, NNSSF money only makes up about 6% of the total education budget. Half of this should have already been paid to schools. He says this means that the largest part of more than R10 billion currently does not reach schools, although it has been budgeted for.
“Where is the money? What is it used for? This is more than the measured ‘lack of political will’. It’s time that provincial education departments get a lesson in financial management from public schools that have to draw blood from a stone every day. Give the money to the people who see the faces of the children for whom the money is intended.”