Abstract:
The inception of no-fee schools and a school-fee exemption policy has become a contentious
issue but also an exciting one for school managers in South Africa. Managers
opposed to the policy have cited amongst others things, academic standards dropping,
as well as parents who can afford to pay jumping on the bandwagon and refusing to
pay. While the advocates for no-fee schools argue that it is not only a moral obligation
for the authorities to ensure that every child is able to get basic education, it is
also a basic human right. Notwithstanding these contrasting views, an overwhelming
majority (62%) of the purposively sampled principals of public schools in the Free State
Province expressed relief and agreement with this decision to declare poor school nofee
schools. This article, therefore, intends to explore not only the background to the
policy but also the possible impact of this decision on overall school performance as
perceived by the school principals.
