Gauteng to spend R1.13bn subsidising qualifying independent schools - TimesLIVE

The Gauteng education department has defended the government’s decision to allocate about R1.13bn to qualifying independent schools in the province, saying public funding of privately managed schools is permitted by the constitution and helps support the education of thousands of pupils.

During a media briefing on Sunday, MEC Lebogang Maile provided an update on the state of independent schools in Gauteng, amid ongoing debate over whether the government should subsidise institutions that are independently owned and managed.

Maile said the province has 1,083 operational independent schools catering for 379,727 pupils and employing 24,974 educators.

Of these schools, 279 receive government subsidies while 804 receive no operating subsidy.

Maile said the subsidy did not mean the government owned or controlled the schools.

“The constitution allows the government to subsidise independent schools, while the South African Schools Act provides the framework through which qualifying institutions may receive this support,” the department said.

Between the 2022/23 and 2025/26 financial years, the Gauteng department of education allocated about R4.3bn in transfers and subsidies to qualifying independent schools.

For the 2026/27 financial year, R1.13bn has been allocated, with about R621m going to the primary phase and R508m to secondary schools.

The department projects a similar allocation in each of the next two financial years.

Maile said the funding was not available to every independent school and that the funding model took into account the different fee levels and communities served by the schools.

He said lower-fee independent schools could qualify for higher government support than schools charging significantly higher fees.

The department said the funding also came with an obligation for schools to account for public money.

It monitors the financial planning, budgets, annual financial statements, banking and cash controls, payroll and assets of subsidised independent schools.

In the first term of 2026, 80 subsidised independent schools were monitored. By the end of the term, 274 of the province’s 279 subsidised schools had submitted annual financial statements.

The department said 77 of the 80 schools monitored were performing above the provincial public-school average used in the assessment.

Independent schools also recorded a 94.82% pass rate in the 2025 National Senior Certificate examinations.

Of the 12,291 independent school pupils included in the department’s analysis, 11,651 passed. A total of 7,869 achieved bachelor passes and 2,358 obtained diploma passes.

At school level, 127 independent schools achieved a 100% pass rate, while another 49 recorded results between 95% and 99%.

But Maile cautioned against assuming that independent schools were automatically better because they were privately run or charged fees.

The department said research by the Human Sciences Research Council had found that factors such as school leadership, discipline and a strong focus on learning were closely linked to pupil performance.

Public schools recorded an 89.06% pass rate in the 2025 matric examinations, according to the department.

While acknowledging that some public schools continue to face overcrowding, infrastructure problems and other challenges, Maile said strong academic results were also being produced by township public schools.

The briefing also highlighted concerns about independent schools operating illegally.

In 2025, the department visited 57 illegally operating schools and served 31 with letters.

Between January and September 2026, officials visited 61 schools and served 32 with closure letters.

Seven of the schools were found to have stopped operating, four subsequently applied for registration, and two school directors were arrested.

Maile urged parents to verify a school’s registration before paying fees or enrolling their children.

The department said it had received 3,688 cases relating to independent schools between 2024 and August 6 2026.

These included 550 registration cases, 518 cases involving outstanding fees linked to suspension or expulsion, and 422 involving outstanding fees and the withholding of transfer certificates or reports.

A further 458 cases concerned disciplinary and bullying matters, 345 related to admissions or refusal to re-enrol pupils, and 312 involved curriculum and assessment.

The department said independent schools may not suspend or expel pupils during an academic year, or withhold their progress reports, because of contractual disputes between parents and schools.

Maile also highlighted the growth of the independent-school sector, which has increased from 961 schools in 2021 to 1,083 this year.

Johannesburg has the largest concentration, with 557 independent schools serving 197,687 pupils, followed by Ekurhuleni with 233 schools and 78,427 pupils.

The province has 36 independent schools catering for pupils with special education needs, but only six receive government subsidies. Six education districts have no independent LSEN school.

Maile said the growth of independent schooling did not diminish the government’s responsibility to improve public education.

More than 2.4-million pupils are enrolled in Gauteng’s public schools in 2026, compared with 379,727 in independent schools.

The department said public schools remained the backbone of the province’s education system, while independent schools formed part of the broader education landscape and remained subject to government regulation.