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What is the name of your school?
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By the end of this worksheet you should:
Understand what an alumni association is and know how to organise one at your school. Be aware of the benefits of an alumni association. Know the implications of the quintile grading system. Know what schools may not do if learners do not pay fees. Have suggestions on how to foster a spirit of accountability for payment for studies. Understand the Department of Education’s policy on those parents who cannot afford school fees and have a plan on ensuring that those who are not pa Have a plan for setting up a Fees Action Committee at your school. Learn about organisations in your community that can assist you in dealing with learners with behavioural problems.

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SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Martin Feinstein, managing director of Enablis, an organisation that encourages entrepreneurs, spent a day at the school and came up with a seven-point plan to address some of the issues. He made the point that educational institutions needed to be run as businesses in order to succeed.
Tapping into alumni

Tapping into alumni of the school is a good way of generating funds. Alumni associations should be structured and well-organised. Alumni is a Latin word for past pupils. Many educational organisations have alumni associations though which they keep in touch with learners once they have left school and entered the world of work.
What are the advantages of doing this? *

What are the advantages of doing this?
An alumni association should:
be run by a small committee of past pupils (and staff, if you like) meet a set number of times a year have updated contact details of all past pupils have a small membership fee for past pupils arrange school reunions send news of the school to past pupils invite participation by past pupils in the life of the school arrange mentorship programmes with successful past pupils arrange fundraising events with the help of past pupils
Outline briefly how you would go about organising an alumni association at your school. *
Submissions to the Department of Education

The school needs to make submissions to the Department of Education to ensure that it is graded appropriately as a quintile. State funding is organised on a quintile system, in which schools are divided into five categories according to the poverty levels in the areas they serve. Poorer schools are given larger state subsidies, and so have lower school fees, while wealthier schools are given smaller subsidies, and so have higher fees. The problem is that Westridge High School is categorised as Quintile 5 because it is not situated in one of the poorest areas. However, it draws learners from poor areas. This affects the funding the school receives from the state.
What quintile is your school graded in?
If you needed to write to the Department of Education to ensure that you were correctly graded, who would you write to? *
If you did not receive a reply within a month, what action would you take? *
In terms of the South African Schools Act, a school may not retain the child’s report. Westridge High School keeps the report back as a means of engaging with the parents or caregivers when they come to collect the child’s report. Schools are also not allowed to refuse admission to a student or refuse to allow a learner to take part in school activities on the grounds that fees have not been paid. *

List the ways a culture of responsibility for payment can be fostered among your learners and their parents, even those who are unemployed. Bear in mind that you can trade in products and services and not only money.
The Department of Education has made provision for parents who are unable to pay fees. At all public schools, parents may apply for a reduction in or exemption from school fees. If both parents' annual earnings are less than 10 times the yearly school fees (before tax), the learner qualifies for a full fee exemption. Partial exemptions can also be made for parents with financial problems. This generally requires some kind of proof of income. *

Describe how you would ensure that all the parents who are not paying fees fit into this category so that your school can follow up with those who can afford to pay something towards their child’s education.
Martin Feinstein suggests a Fees Action Team at the school. *

Describe how you would set up a Fees Action Team and outline what plan of action the team would follow:
Behavioural Issues:

To assist in behavioural problems, Martin Feinstein suggests enlisting the help of organisations in the community that can help. Westridge is in Cape Town and the Kenilworth Clinic runs a group called the Kenilworth Adolescents and Young Adults (KAYA). The group helps teenagers with various behavioural problems. They believe in supporting schools with this as well. Their website is http://www.kwplace.com/Kaya.htm.
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Learning Channel c/o Weekday Heroes

SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Tapping into alumni

Submissions to the Department of Education

Behavioural Issues: