The Gauteng department of education (GDE) has moved to clear concerns about late payments to service providers under its extended national school nutrition programme (NSNP) while tightening action against illegal schools in the province.
The department said while the NSNP, run by the department of basic education, continues to provide uninterrupted meals for pupils in no-fee schools, Gauteng had expanded the initiative to cover vulnerable children in some fee-paying schools.
“The GDE took a progressive decision to establish the province’s extended NSNP. The provincially funded programme ensures identified pupils in quintile 4 and 5 schools, particularly those from disadvantaged communities neighbouring the schools, also receive daily nutritious meals,” it said.
However, the number of pupils needing support has grown rapidly, putting pressure on the provincial budget.
“Regrettably, the challenges have resulted in delays in processing payments to some service providers operating under the extended programme.”
It said it had engaged with service providers and remained committed to clearing all outstanding payments. It confirmed the government is reviewing the quintile system to better reflect “socio-economic realities”.
Crackdown on illegal schools
The GDE said it is intensifying its crackdown on illegal schools, warning parents such schools “pose a serious risk to pupils as they operate outside the regulatory framework of the South African Schools Act”.
Pupils in the schools often fall behind academically as they are excluded from the education management information system, which means their reports are invalid and cannot be transferred. Matric pupils are particularly at risk as they may not be certificated if their schools fail to meet national examination standards.
The department said it is working with law enforcement, parents and communities to identify and close such schools, while placing affected pupils in registered institutions and providing academic and psychosocial support.
Over the past five years, about 1,200 pupils have been moved from illegal schools into compliant and registered schools. Several cases against non-compliant school owners are before the courts, including:
- Boipuso School in Bloubosrand;
- Thakane School;
- Hope Fountain School; and
- Gateway Academy.
Dedicated hotline numbers have been made available for the public to report illegal schools. These are:
- 083-289-3608;
- 060-891-0337;
- 060-891-0302; and
- 060-891-0312.
“The Gauteng department of education remains steadfast in its mission to protect pupils from exploitation by unregistered schools and to uphold the right to quality education.”
TimesLIVE
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