WCape: Keep school fees down

2003-11-18 08:30

Marlene Malan

Cape Town - The Western Cape minister of education on Monday appealed to schools to tread lightly when it comes to increasing school fees.

This warning comes after it was found that fees for some Western Cape schools had doubled and that fee increases were way above the inflation rate.

The province's education minister, Andre Gaum, also appealed to parents to take a more active role in the decision making at schools.

"According to the law, school fees are part of school budgets and are supposed to be approved by the majority of parents at a special meeting," he said

Recently, Stellenbosch parents were outraged over fee increases of 39% for Rhenish Girls High and 30% for Bloemhof Girls High.

Rhenish parents are now expected to pay R9 224 per child per year. Bloemhof parents will have to pay R6 000 per child from next year.

It was found that the average increase at schools in and around Cape Town was between 8% and 13%.

Dr Alan Taylor, chairperson of Rhenish's governing body, said the exceptionally high standard of tuition was the reason for the high increase. "More than half our teachers are appointed by the governing body and are paid by the parents."

Molatwane Likhethe, spokesperson for the national minister of education, Kader Asmal, said that school fee increases should be agreed upon by parents and the school's governing body.

- Die Burger