Johannesburg - The number of non-fee schools in South Africa rose between 2008 and 2010, the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) on Monday.
Non-fee schools made up 55% of all public schools, or 13 643 of 24 814 schools, in 2008, SAIRR said in a statement.
That figure rose to 60% in 2010, with 14 567 out of 24 532 schools not requiring fees.
Statistics sourced by the SAIRR from Statistics SA and the department of basic education showed that the Free State had the highest percentage of non-fee schools in 2010, at 83%.
Of the 1 636 public schools in the Free State, 1 354 were non-fee schools, up 34% from 2008.
It was followed by Limpopo, at 71% in 2008 and 77% in 2010.
Expanding access to education in poor areas was necessary, but evidence showed that non-fee schools did not perform as well as low-fee schools, said SAIRR researcher Jonathan Snyman.
Fewest no-fee schools in Western Cape"Because of this, the rise in schools that do not charge for tuition needs to be accompanied by the provision of quality education, otherwise increased access to education will be meaningless," he said.
The Western Cape had the highest growth in the number of non-fee schools between 2008 and 2010, at 64%.
However, the province still had the second lowest percentage of non-fee schools in 2010, at 46%, SAIRR said.
Gauteng, at 22%, had the least non-fee schools in 2010.
KwaZulu-Natal showed the least change between 2008 and 2010. Non-fee schools made up 53% of public schools in the province.
About 67% of public schools in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, 52% in Mpumalanga, and 55% in North West were non-fee schools.
SAPA
