Schools in South Africa are very poor. This is not due to a lack of funds but more a misappropriation of funds. Some schools are no-fee schools which means that they don't have to pay the annual R60 (8 USD) for each child attending primary school; secondary school students pay R140/year. This is an extremely small amount of money; even the poorest of the poor should be able to afford this. If a family allocates R3/week to their child's education then that will far exceed the required school fee. Many of them refuse to pay this which I mostly attribute that to a lack of interest in their child's education; most would spend R100+ a week on beer but somehow they can't afford to pay R60 per year.
I have devised a plan to raise the money for the school that the Department of Education should be, but is not, providing to the school. Instead of asking for a once-off payment of R60 a year, we will request R20/term; this will actually bring the annual total to R80/year (but I will steer away from pointing that out). Since my school has approximately 440 learners, that would net R8800/term that can be used for school expenses resulting in an additional R8800 per year for school improvement projects. As the parents see results, hopefully they will realize that a little money goes a long way and they may be willing to contribute more.
Since the funds come from the parents and not from the Department of Education, the parents can play a more direct role in how the money is spent. Each term the parents will vote on initiatives they would like to use the money for. Ideas I have are: a new kitchen, an improved computer lab which can also be used for educating parents, a new class room building, and new learning materials. This approach will bring a constant source of funds into the school providing money to the school to improve children's education.
One of the keys to the success of this initiative is to make sure that the funds are used for what they've been allocated for and not be stolen by corrupt officials. Very easily, people in high places could quietly increase the food and entertainment budget of the educators. I have faith in my principal that she will do the right thing and make sure everything goes in the right places.
The annual parents' meeting will be held at the end of November. At the meeting, my principal, some faculty, and I will be presenting this concept to them. If this initiative passes, Mnyamana stands the chance to become one of the richer poor schools. The parents will also be able to hold their heads high knowing that they had a direct impact on improving the education of their children and themselves. Let's hope that is something that they think is worth R20/term.
School taxes are an issue all over I guess. People choose to spend their money in odd ways and balk at investing in the future by means of education. Some of this is related to disagreement over what an education should consist of. Special interest groups endorse their own programs (sports, music for example) and are often the advocates for the budget. Community members without children in school find it difficult to justify increases. Voter apathy is always a concern and getting people to become involved and informed as well as showing up on election day. You will have a challenge getting the parents to buy into this. Perhaps being allowed to use the computer lab will entice them or having a voice in the kids needs might help. I realize you're not talking about voting but it is a very similar problem we face here. Good luck.
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