Umkhonto weSizwe Party Member of Parliament Visvin Reddy has accused the ANC-led government of strategically revoking the no fee school policy which was introduced years ago.
As part of his party schools opening monitoring programme, the Durban-born MP visited several schools on eThekwini’s ward 7 around Pinetown, area west of the city, where he found deplorable conditions which he described as completely unacceptable.
Reddy said that none of the schools visited had access to water, a critical issue that has forced early closures for much of the previous academic year. He said in classrooms meant for 30 learners, there were over 40 crammed into limited spaces, compromising both teaching quality and safety.
“The visit revealed a grim reality for learners and educators alike, with schools grappling with severe water shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of basic financial support. Where is free education if schools are suffering like this?” asked Reddy.
Furthermore, he said despite being classified as Quintile 3 schools, where learners are exempt from paying school fees, he was appalled to learn that no funds had been received from the Department of Education for the past six months.
He accused the government of silently revoking no fee school policy, saying it is now clear that it was political point scoring for the ANC to declare free education in these poor schools, yet it cannot provide critical resources.
He said this dire situation has left teachers using their personal funds to cover essential costs such as electricity and educational materials, adding that this is a complete failure of governance.
He called on the Minister of Basic Education to answer and take full responsibility for this deplorable state of schooling and vowed to take the matter directly to Parliament, calling for immediate intervention to address the crisis.
He also urged parents and teachers as well as civic bodies to rise against the government and demand real free education.
The issue of school funding, particularly after the government announced free education for poor schools has been a problem for parents and teachers who bore the brunt of lack of resources at the end.
This has been raised by teacher unions several times. However, instead of increasing the budget for schools, because of stagnant economic growth, the government was forced to implement budget cuts in critical departments such as Education and Health.
With the economy unlikely to grow beyond 2% in this financial year, there is already talk of retrenching teachers. The lack of funding in schools is now forcing principals to demand money from parents in the form of donations.
Last week, several parents complained to the publication that there were items in the stationery lists which were supposed to be purchased by the schools.
The ANC hit back at Reddy, calling him a populist who obsessed with its policies.
Party spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Mafika Mndebele, said although the government had financial constraints which led to budget cuts in education and other departments, the issue to increase school funding was addressed by the national director of Basic Education when he visited the province late last year.
“Reddy is making noise for nothing, what he does not know is that the money is coming to schools because the budgetary problem has been resolved,” said Mndebele.
KwaZulu-Natal education spokesperson, Muzi Mahlambi, denied that the department was revoking the no fee school policy.
“How so? Funding schools is the policy of government so no department can deviate from that,” said Mahlambi.
Quintiles explained
As part of a poverty alleviation in the previously disadvantaged communities, the government in the early 2000s introduced no fee school policy in the schools that were categorised as Quintile 2 and 3.
The schools under Quintile 3 initially were the ones in rural areas where most communities are poor and unemployed.
With the growing influx of rural communities in the urban areas which resulted in the growth of informal settlements, the government was forced to extend the policy to urban schools that are near informal settlements.
The government was also forced to introduce a nutrition programme as part of its support to poor children after studies revealed that many of them were coming to school on empty stomachs, and the meal they received at schools was the only one for the day.
Quintile 2 schools are mixed. There are those children whose parents afford school fees while others cannot. Parents in this category who cannot afford school fees must produce tangible proof and apply for the exemption.
Quintile 1 are those schools that were formerly known as model C and usually found in formerly white suburbs areas. Here parents pay.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za