A letter concerning school fees was distributed to parents of students at Dale College Boys’ Primary School in Qonce, Eastern Cape. Sinethemba Tsipa, the chairperson of the school’s governing council, contacted parents on February 21 and asked them to make sure their sons brought toilet paper with them to school.
The principal of the school subsequently wrote out a follow-up letter outlining Dale Junior’s present financial circumstances.
Tsipa’s statement said, “We have run out of toilet paper and we are unable to purchase more at this time due to the dire financial situation which the school finds itself in.”
Consequently, we are asking that every boy bring his OWN roll of toilet paper to school and use it exclusively.
“It is recommended that boys carry their roll to the restroom and store their toilet paper in their bags.” After your son has done his roll, kindly replenish.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience, but there are unforeseen circumstances at play here.”
A Deeper Financial Problem
The financial difficulties faced by Dale College Boys’ Primary are a reflection of a larger issue in South African education, which is parents’ failure to pay school fees. It is believed that Dale College Boys’ Primary’s challenges represent a microcosm of the financial hardships that many South African communities face.
The incapacity of parents to pay for school fees is believed to be a result of broader economic problems including underemployment and unemployment.
Due to the financial hardship, educational institutions such as Dale College are unable to cover basic costs, which impacts both teachers and students.
Tsipa continued, “Please take note that we have already stopped providing the staff with tea, coffee, milk, sugar, toilet paper, and stationery.”
Supporters of Dale Junior demanded the release of an extensive statement regarding the school’s financial status after Tsipa’s remark was made public. Ms. P. Thatcher, the principal of Dale Junior, made an effort to respond to these inquiries on February 23 by sending a letter that included a balance sheet of the school’s current budget.
Thatcher’s statement said, “Due to poor school fee payment, the projected school fee budget for 2024 has not been met.”
The 2023 school year was the worst to date due to the steadily rising non-payment rate throughout the years. Regretfully, at the end of 2023, the budget for 2024 was not approved, thus we started the new year without one.
Thatcher continued by stating that a third budget meeting took place on Friday, January 26, at which point the parents decided to utilize the 2023 figures even though the planned 2024 budget was still rejected.
At Dale Junior, School Fees are Still Unpaid Even After a 0% Rise.
“This is a direct result of non-payment of school fees, not mismanagement of funds as has been implied on some forums,” she continued.
Only 12% of School Fees Paid
According to Thatcher, 263 accounts totaling R 4 095 342.32, or around 88% of the school’s student body, are in the process of being turned over for outstanding 2023 school fees.
The correspondence contained a summary of Dale Junior’s January 2024 cash flow, showing total revenue of R1 377 993.91 and total costs of R1 526 289.88. As a result, by 2024 there will be a net loss of R148 296.
In addition, the school was unable to pay Buffalo City Municipality the outstanding balance of R119 906.52, which prevented it from buying much-needed textbooks.
NGO’S Have “Filled the Gaps”
Fundraising has been successful in filling part of the gap during the last few years. According to Thatcher, certain Dale Junior parents’ disparaging remarks about the staff led to the suspension of these fundraising efforts at the end of 2023.
Nonetheless, the Dale Junior staff has made the decision to bring back a few fundraising initiatives in an effort to meet the school’s anticipated needs and restore certain scheduled fixtures.
Thatcher went on, “But this will never be enough to cover the costs of running an institution like ours.” “It is the parents’ duty to fulfill their obligations and to uphold the promise they made when they applied to Dale Junior to pay the school fees.”
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