Abstract
Since the advent of democracy in 1994, access to quality and equitable education still remains a challenge in the Gauteng province. As an intervention to improve access and quality of learning in all schools, especially township schools, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) declared schools across Quintiles 1 to 3 throughout the province to be no-fee schools. In this article we examine various GDE pro-poor intervention programmes, the effects of a progressive school funding policy, and efforts to achieving equity through improved resource allocations. It is essential to assess the progress of the GDE’s explicit pro-poor education policies towards promoting equity and equality in education, with particular focus on the performance of Grade 12 learners in no-fee schools. One of the findings of the study reported on here reveals that, although the GDE faced challenges in implementing the no-fee policy at school level, there has been progressive improvements in the standard of education as reflected in the Grade 12 results of no-fee schools.
Highlights
IntroductionThe introduction of no-fee schools is an integral part of government’s strategy to alleviate the effects of poverty and redress the imbalances of the past
Since 1994, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has sought to address poverty and inequality with a wide range of educational and social interventions, including the application of fiscal and funding policies to support the improvement of educational quality across schools, with particular emphasis on poorer communities
While it is difficult to draw direct casual relationships between school funding and learner performance, in this paper we provide a portrait of the implementation of no-fee schools and the Grade 12 performance of no-fee schools in Gauteng
Summary
The introduction of no-fee schools is an integral part of government’s strategy to alleviate the effects of poverty and redress the imbalances of the past. In terms of Section 39(7) of SASA, the Minister shall, “annually determine those quintiles or parts of quintiles where schools may not implement compulsory school fees in the following school year. This information should be made public by 1 August of each year, concurrently with the school allocation information.”. Quintile 1 and 2 schools had different adequacy amounts. This continued until 2013 (see Table 2 below)
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