School of Industries, Newcastle

At a public school that charges fees, parents can apply to pay less or nothing. This is called an exemption. A public school may not refuse to admit a child because the parent cannot pay the fees or has not paid them.

• You pay nothing if one child's yearly fees, plus any other money the school asks you to pay for that child, are 10% (one tenth) or more of the parents' combined yearly income before tax.
• You pay less if the fees and other payments are between 3.5% and 10% of that income. Below 3.5%, you pay less only if you have several children at public schools that charge fees: at least 2 children at 3%, 4 at 2.5%, or 6 at 2%. The regulations' table goes up in half percents and does not settle the figures between its rows, so the calculator below shows both rows.
• Below 2% the formula gives no exemption. If you still cannot pay because of something outside your control, tell the governing body. It may agree to an exemption with conditions.
• You pay nothing, no matter how much you earn, if you receive a social grant for the child, if the child is placed in a foster home, a youth care centre, a place of safety or an orphanage, if you are a relative caring for an orphan, or for a child whose parents have abandoned them and who has no means of support, or if the child heads the household. You must give the governing body proof: an affidavit, a letter from a social worker, or a court order.

How to apply: ask the principal for the exemption form and give it to the chairperson of the school governing body. You apply every year. If the other parent cannot be found or will not give their income, you can say so in an affidavit and apply on your own. The governing body must decide within 30 days and tell you in writing. If you are not satisfied, you can appeal in writing to the head of the provincial education department, within 30 days of getting the decision.

Source: Regulations relating to the Exemption of Parents from Payment of School Fees in Public Schools (Government Notice R1052 of 2006, as amended by Notice 1149 of 2006), and sections 5 and 41 of the South African Schools Act. More about fee exemptions.