Published Article / The pre-1994 education system created huge imbalances among public schools in South Africa, in terms of resource allocation. Surprisingly, the pronouncement by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, to declare some schools "no-fee schools", generated a mixed-bag of reactions within the entire education fraternity, "No-fee schools spark row" (Govender, 2006:6). Some sections are giving this decision their full support, while others are arguing that "new regulations will lead to standards dropping" (Govender & Makwabe 2007:4). Notwithstanding these contrasting views, an overwhelming majority (78%) of the school principals expressed satisfaction with this decision. This article, therefore, intends to explore the possible impact of this decision on the school's overall performance as perceived by principals of South African public schools.

This project uses system engineering and system management principles to analyze the problem of transactions in Nigerian universities and tertiary institutions. System management principles shall be used to highlight the imperfections in the transaction method currently in use especially the disconnect between the bank and the institutions using their services. It will explore other payment systems available in the country. This project will provide a recommendation of how to implement a better payment option through automating the process of school payments by using a system with a cloud-based educational software at the school bursary office and through the online payment processing on the school website. The system software will enable cashiering and payment management: centralized data, automated reports, and inventory controls. It will generate automatic invoices and receipts. This system will bridge the disconnect between the bank and the school since students would not need to deposit cash directly into the school account but into their accounts and then pay with their debit cards. The system will provide debit card encryption and protection using the Secure Socket Layer technology.

No Abstract available. / Thesis (M.Pub.Admin.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Education broadens the life choices and capabilities of those who receive it, and confers external benefits to society as a whole. In sub-Saharan Africa, a major issue concerning school attendance among the poor has been the direct monetary costs represented by primary school “user” fees, which became particularly commonplace in sub-Saharan African countries during the post-colonial period. While fees have been advocated in the past as a way for impoverished governments to fund the improvement and expansion of primary education, in more recent years the position of the international development community has shifted in favour of fee abolition as a means of achieving Universal Primary Education. This thesis examines the long-term relationship between school fees and education quality and access over the past 40 years in seven sub-Saharan African countries. I find that the introduction of fees decreased primary school enrolment, primarily by keeping the poorest children out of school, without achieving significant quality improvements. A fall-off in government spending following the introduction of fees is presented as a possible explanation. I also focus on the quality impacts associated with the major increases in enrolment following fee abolition, and emphasize the importance of government commitment to making up the funding shortfall generated by this policy change.

This masters thesis deals with the problem in the present educational system of the Czech Republic and the methods for its solution by the means of reformation of the educational system. In this thesis the social, economical and financial situation of the students is discussed, as well as the difference between the public high schools and private high schools is pointed out. The utmost emphasis is placed on the analysis of opportunities, threats, weaknesses and strengths of the present and new system of education in the Czech Republic. The part of this thesis deals with the comparison of the Czech Republic with selected states of the European Union and the description of the practices of those countries with the implementation of the school fee.

ABSTRACT Using the lens of school finance reform, this thesis analyses the progress towards equity in public schooling in post-apartheid South Africa. It distinguishes between equality and equity and argues that that redress, positive discrimination or differential distribution must become part of a meaningful definition of equal education. This thesis utilises recent quantitative data and empirical methodology to explicate the patterns and typology of inequality in public schooling in one province in post-apartheid South Africa, and to deepen our understanding of the construct and application of equity within that milieu. It does this by establishing a key equity indicator, per capita expenditure, for each of the approximately 1900 schools in Gauteng in 1999 and 2002, and by carrying out various school-level analyses on this data. This approach quantifies inequity and progress towards equality, and establishes a broader set of variables and correlates with which to comprehend school finance equity. This is particularly significant because data of actual school-level expenditure as an outcome of merging various databases did not previously exist for Gauteng province, nor did an understanding of the role of private income in differentiating public schooling, particularly on the basis of fees. For the first time, the actual expenditure for each school in Gauteng is established, allowing an assessment of the variability of financing in public schooling. The disaggregated analysis illustrates that the race-based hierarchy of school finance expenditure has been replaced by a new typology of schools based on new categories of privilege and disadvantage. After eight years of post-apartheid education, an important achievement in the public schooling sector is convergence or equalisation in state expenditure. Differential distribution, a notion of equity which includes what is socially just, has been slow to develop. Moreover, while old racial patterns of distribution have shifted, private inputs into public schooling change the picture of “sameness” to one of substantial differentiation. An emerging feature is the evidence of intra-race differentiation, illustrated by the growing spread of expenditure within former African schools. There is also empirical evidence that the emerging education system in postapartheid South Africa has continued to favour the deracialising middle class, despite policy intentions which promote redress for the poor. Unequal education still continues, bur for a different set of reasons. At an empirical level, the research shows that while there has been significant progress towards same spending on average, specific type of schools have benefited more or less. There are policy and management explanations for this. Equity as differential distribution is yet to be achieved. At a methodological level, the study shows both the feasibility and utility of using disaggregated approaches and the ingredient method for fiscal research. At a conceptual level, the study shows the need to go beyond existing categories when exploring equal education, to look at the newly privileged and the newly disadvantaged. This contributes to our understanding of a more complex typology of public schooling in South Africa.

The financing of public schools in South Africa is dependent on school fees to a great extent. However, the legislative process governing the charging of school fees perpetuates the entrenched inequality in the education system and violates the constitutional rights of those learners who are unable to afford school fees and other educational costs. This study examines the impact of the school funding system on the right to basic education of these learners, who are in most instances black and/or poor.

The financing of public schools in South Africa is dependent on school fees to a great extent. However, the legislative process governing the charging of school fees perpetuates the entrenched inequality in the education system and violates the constitutional rights of those learners who are unable to afford school fees and other educational costs. This study examines the impact of the school funding system on the right to basic education of these learners, who are in most instances black and/or poor.

Magister Legum - LLM / The financing of public schools in South Africa is dependent on school fees to a great extent. However, the legislative process governing the charging of school fees perpetuates the entrenched inequality in the education system and violates the constitutional rights of those learners who are unable to afford school fees and other educational costs. This study examines the impact of the school funding system on the right to basic education of these learners, who are in most instances black and/or poor. / South Africa

The implementation of the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) has placed additional financial management responsibilities on school principals and school governing bodies. Financial management has created several challenges for school principals and members of school governing bodies who do not have the necessary financial knowledge, skill and expertise to perform this function. This research was undertaken primarily to determine how principals and members of school governing bodies, in public primary schools, implement financial policy. The research is supported by a detailed literature study covering financial policy, the budget process, approaches to budgeting, the advantages of a budget system and requirements for effective financial control. In order to determine the financial management practices at public primary schools a questionnaire was designed and administered amongst twenty five public primary schools in the Ekurhuleni South District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The findings suggest that there is a need for schools to communicate resolutions adopted at parents’ meetings and other consultative procedures to parents of learners and in this way ensure the dissemination of pertinent information. There is a need for early intervention by schools concerning outstanding school fees to prevent the exacerbation of the problem. Educational institutions should prepare their budgets on the basis of their main objectives and policies in order to ensure an efficient allocation of funds. / Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)