There are many parents questioning why full school fees are payable when their kids are currently reliant on distance learning and virtual classrooms.
Paying school fees is a statutory obligation says Paul Colditz, CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas).
“This means the law says that you must pay. It’s very much like taxes. If you earn an income you must pay income tax, whether you receive services for that tax you’re paying or not.” He says that there are criteria governing exemption from paying school fees, but parents cannot simply withhold payments because they are not receiving services.
“Whereas you don’t have a process for exemption from payment of taxes. there is provision in the regulations for the exemption of the payment of school fees by parents… Parents can, if they have no income – if they’ve lost their job or if their income has been reduced – apply to the school governing body for an exemption.” – Paul Colditz, CEO – Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools
“It still has its own bills to pay like water and electricity, salaries for additional staff etcetera.” – Paul Colditz, CEO – Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools
