NEWS
Tuesday 31 July 2012
People’s Post Mitchell's Plain Page 11
Yellowwood Primary taking strain
community has changed. Another school also has to drop out of the desired quintile to make space for the A TAFELSIG school is suffering school making the application, to under the strain of municipal meet national target requirecosts as parents are unable to ments.” pay school fees to help ease the Parents at Yellowwood Primary financial dilemma. have applied for school fee exemption, he says. “Parents do not have Yellowwood Primary School in to pay school fees at schools in quinSkeleton Street, Tafelsig, has been tiles one to three. Schools in quinput in the same category as former tiles four and five normally charge Model C schools, forcing parents to fees. However, parents who cannot pay school fees. afford school fees can apply for exLast year, the government set out emption, or partial exemption, to abandon the problematic quinfrom paying the fees based on their tile system that determines the alloannual income,” he explains. cation of funding to schools and reAttwell confirms that the educaplace it with a simpler system based tion department is at present conon two categories: fee-paying and sidering 397 applications from Yelnon-fee-paying schools. lowwood Primary for fee exempThe quintile is based on the povtion. erty level of the community in The provincial education departwhich the school is located. ment had budgeted R43 million this Yellowwood Primary has applied year to compensate schools for fee for pupils to be exempt from paying exemptions. “The department will school fees as operational costs are pay the school compensation for bringing the school to its knees. verified cases in November, in line Principal, Isobel Sinosi, says: with regulations,” says Attwell. “Our school fees are R150 a month Sinosi says: “National governand parents can barely afford to pay ment also needs to look at scrapping that. Our electricity bill has rocketour municipal arrears as we are a ed from R4 000 to R8 000.” government institution. If they canHe continues that the school not scrap it, they should at least struggles to balance its books as subsidise it. This will save us thoumost parents do not pay school fees due to high levels of unemploy- UNDER PRESSURE: Yellowwood Primary School’s principal, Isobel Sinosi, says schools in poverty-stricken areas sands of rands which could be better spent on employing more teachment. should have their municipal arrears scrapped or subsidised by government. Photo: Laila Majiet ers.” “We get R427 000 from the educaCosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich also raised his The provincial education department’s tion department every month. More than 50% Sinosi says. Yellowwood Primary falls in quintile four spokesperson Paddy Attwell says while concerns about this matter, saying: “Every of that money goes towards electricity, water, sewerage and refuse bills. Teachers have to – the second richest poverty index ranking – schools can apply to change their quintiles, child should have the same opportunity. Teachers on the Cape Flats have classes douset aside time to do fundraising to keep the however, Sinosi feels quintile three would this is not easily done. “Schools have to provide evidence that the ble the size of those teaching at schools in the school afloat, but even this is problematic as better suit the social conditions of pupils, national poverty rating of the surrounding shades of Table Mountain.” the pupils’ parents cannot afford to assist,” their parents and staff. LAILA MAJIET
Understanding prayer THE Virtuous Daughters of Zion Ministry will hold a prayer conference on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 August at the Metropolitan Evangelistic
Church in Portlands at 11:00. Call Pastor Melanie van Rooi on 0 078 390 7037 or Sister Carol Busch on 0 074 948 9221 for details.
We Make it Ourselves FREE PARKING AVAILABLE AT ALL STORES!
BUY DIRECT AND
SAVE!!
WISHING ALL OUR MUSLIM CLIENTS WELL OVER THE MONTH OF RAMADAAN UTILITY 5 DRAWER
BALMORAL BED
PINE DOUBLE BUNK
WHITE
RRP R799
R399
ALSO AVAILABLE IN OAK/IMBUIA/ IVORY
92 cm wide MATTRESS OPTIONAL EXTRA
R459
TWINKLE BABY COMPACTUM
White & Ivory Colours extra
DOUBLE SLEIGH BED
RRP R1799
White / Ivory Pedestals, Colours and Mattress optional extra
R899
RRP R3799
R1899
ZAP COMBO
RRP R2999
R1499
PEDASTALS OPTIONAL EXTRA
UTILITY MINI MULTIROBE SLEIGH COT WHITE White & Ivory Colours extra
RRP R3999
RRP R7799
R2399
R1999
MATTRESS OPTIONAL EXTRA
UTILITY ROBE
SLIDE UNDER COMBO White/Ivory
WHITE RRP R3999
R1999 CABIN COMBO
RRP R3999
R1999
wings optional extra mattress optional extra colours extra
RRP R1399
R699
RRP R5999
R2999
WHITE/ IVORY Colours & mattress optional extra
RRP R7999
R3999
TEL: 021 903 5254 TEL: 021 595 2909 TEL: 021 704 0349 TEL: 021 703 8622 MITCHELLS PLAIN INDUSTRIA TEL: 021 376 5699
LOFT COMBO
KUILS RIVER N1 VALUE CENTRE OTTERY: THE MEGASTORE
Business hours: Mo. - Fr.: 9 am - 5:30 pm SA.: 9 am - 4 pm
RRP R7199
R3599
WHITE/ IVORY Colours & mattress optional extra