Annual Performance Plan Jaarlikse ... - National Treasury

B.3 Independent school subsidies
The following are the measurable objectives (▲) relating to programme 3, and their performance measures (►):
Quality
Annual Performance Plan 2007/08 – 2009/10
Measurable objectives Performance measures
▲ To ensure that quality education occurs in
independent schools.
Specified policies, priorities and strategic objectives
• Strategic goals and objectives:
► PM301: Percentage of funded independent
schools visited for monitoring purposes
To ensure access to quality education for all children living in the province.
• To support independent schooling that serves poorer communities on a sliding scale as a complement to public schooling.
• Policies and priorities:
Constitutionally anyone may establish, and run at own cost, an independent school subject to strict criteria. These schools may
not discriminate on the basis of race, must sustain a quality of education, which is not lower than that of a similar public school
and must be registered with the WCED.
Rigorous registration criteria are applied, viz.
• Facilities must be appropriate and a certificate from the Local Authority is required for clearance to operate an educational
Institution.
• There must be a written Constitution.
• Teachers must be appropriately qualified.
• The curriculum of the school must ensure that the outcomes of the National Curriculum are achieved.
All independent schools that are registered with the WCED are eligible, depending on the Norms and Standards Funding Policy
for Independent Schools, to receive maximum subsidies equal to 60% of the cost per learner in the public schools. All
independent schools that apply for a subsidy, and that are eligible for funding in terms of the Funding Policy, receive a subsidy.
However, to ensure sustainability, subsidies are only granted after a year of operation after registration.
Once subsidies are applied for District officials, who carry out an evaluation of the educational programmes, visit the schools.
Payment is then only made if a satisfactory report is written into the application, together with a recommendation for payment.
The WCED needs to ensure that quality education occurs in independent schools and will monitor schools in this regard. The
Senior Certificate results of independent schools are closely monitored annually. Where the schools are not performing to
standards above those of public schools, they are notified that they are under threat of being deregistered.
Progress analysis
There are currently 205 registered independent schools in the Western Cape. These schools accommodate a range of learners from
varied socio-economic backgrounds and are important and valued partners in education delivery in the province.
The WCED currently provides subsidies to 82 independent schools in the Western Cape. These independent schools provide
learning opportunities to disadvantaged learners in the province.
Analysis of constraints and measures planned to overcome them
A few independent schools have very poor records in the systemic testing at Grade 3 and 6 levels and in Grade 12. There
are also regular complaints from pupils and parents. The WCED monitors these schools to ensure that they provide quality
education.
The throughput and output rates as well as the results of independent schools receiving a subsidy are closely monitored.
Subsidies will be adjusted accordingly should schools be found to be continually producing poor results.
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