“AFFORDABLE Private Schooling in SA” is the latest topic under scrutiny by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) which examines the growing market for low cost private schooling in South Africa and reveals some interesting facts about the growth of independent schools over the past decade.
Between 2000 and 2010 the number of public schools declined by 9%, while the number of independent schools increased by 44%. In terms of learner numbers, the public school population increased by 1.4% and the independent learner population by 75.9% – some 118 295 learners.
Part of this growth is the emergence of low-fee private schools in poor communities, where parents are prepared to forfeit the option of a non-fee paying public school to send their children to a fee-paying school. The question is ‘why’?
According to the report “these schools achieved better results…as they address a number of capacity issues …bringing in good leadership, motivated teachers and using professional development to encourage learner success”.
The average taxpayer – who sees some 15% of his or her taxes pour down the education drain pipe – must wonder why it is seemingly so easy for independent operators to make a success of setting up and running successful schools in impoverished areas – with only 60% of the subsidy that public schools receive – and still outshine them. How do these schools harness “good leadership, motivated teachers, professional development” and win the trust of their parents, when the majority of public schools can’t?
The key difference is the “independent” part of the equation. Independent schools are answerable to parents for the effective running of the school, the effectiveness of the principal and the competence and diligence of the teachers. They are not answerable to teacher unions, absent officials or the plethora of department instructions.
Of course they fall under all the provisions of the SA Schools Act and The Employment of Educators Act and it is mainly in this one element of autonomy that the difference in functionality seems to lie. There is other research that supports the contention that greater autonomy leads to greater effectiveness particularly as the locus of power moves from external bodies like departmental offices and teacher union officials to that of the School Governing Body and the principal.
Over the past 10 years there have been utterings from government around the issue of giving select schools the opportunity for greater autonomy – the creation of “super schools”. But either a lack of political will or the power of opposing forces within the ANC alliance have left these plans on the shelf.
Tom Stokes, MPP
Democratic Alliance
