Exemption from the paying of school fees: In terms of section 39 of the South African Schools’ Act, parents are liable to pay school fees. In terms of Section 40 of the South African Schools’ Act, the school may enforce this payment by taking legal action.
Notwithstanding the above, parents may be eligible for total, partial or conditional exemption of school fees. Specific details about these exemptions are available from our fee administrator, Mrs Smith. A meeting may also be arranged with the principal to discuss this matter.
It is important to note that although the school is obliged to give this relief, the state does not compensate the school. The school itself incurs the loss, which in turn is borne by those parents who do pay their fees. For this reason, we appeal to parents to apply responsibly for this exemption. It stands to reason that if the majority of parents do not support us financially, our facilities will deteriorate, class sizes would increase dramatically, and our service delivery will decline.
It is necessary that parents acknowledge that they have been informed about school fees and their right to apply for exemption thereof (as stated above). The acknowledgement of this notice is included in “Forms” below. Should a parent intend to apply for exemption, they will be required to collect the application forms from our school fee administrator.
fees@edgemeadprimary.co.za or csmith@edgemeadprimary.co.za
School Fees Assistance/Relief
We are aware of the financial hardships that many parents are experiencing. We wish to inform parents that according to the South African School’s Act of 1996 (as amended), the payment of school fees is compulsory. Parents may, however, apply to the school for total, partial or conditional relief of the payment of fees. The extent of the relief granted is dependent upon both parents’ annual income from all sources. The running of the school efficiently requires much more funding than the state provides. We therefore appeal to all parents to apply responsibly for this assistance.
1. A parent who wishes to apply for relief from the payment of school fees for a child at EPS, shall do so annually in writing by completing the relevant forms provided by the school.
2. Parents who have received assistance in the past will need to re-apply for the year 2024.
3. Application forms are available from the School Fee Administrator, Mrs Cynthia Smith.
4. The completed forms must be returned within seven working days of receiving the forms.
5. The parent may be required to attend an interview with the School Governing Body.
6. The Chairperson and the Treasurer will evaluate each application by applying the relevant legislation before granting or declining an application.
7. Applicants will be informed in writing by the School Governing Body of the outcome within 30 days of the parent lodging the application, provided that all the relevant documentation was completed in full.
Please note that the school usually liaises with one appointed parent or guardian only. If this parent or guardian is not responsible for the school fees, it is his/her responsibility to ensure that the school has the relevant contact details of the responsible party.
Please note that the above processes are undertaken in the strictest confidence.
We would like to encourage parents who are considering applying for an exemption in 2024 to do so from 15 February 2024 so that the Fees Office can process the application forms as quickly and as early as possible in the new academic year.
Yours sincerely
Shelly Herbert
Treasurer: Governing Body