Today was a great day for reflection. We had a great lunch at the home of a Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University professor. The discussion was great and helped at clarifying some of the things I have seen here. One of the stark realities is budget. Today I wanted to reflect on school finances a bit because I know I am going to get to see a government school tomorrow that is said to be cutting edge. Emafini was officially listed of having 1233 learners for funding purposes.
The school gets 1059 Rand per learner per year in funding. That includes many things, including maintenance of the school. The government pays for their teachers from a different source, but operating expenses have to come out of that amount. The school gets 481 Rand per learner, per year to provide lunch.
Lets put this in perspective: It costs $48.00 to per child to feed them for a school year. They get roughly $105.00 per child a year to run the school. A recent study suggested that investing in teaching and learning support materials leads to better student outcomes (Rooyen, 2010, p. 166). Emafini receives about $48.00 per student in this area per year.
The school gets 1059 Rand per learner per year in funding. That includes many things, including maintenance of the school. The government pays for their teachers from a different source, but operating expenses have to come out of that amount. The school gets 481 Rand per learner, per year to provide lunch.
Lets put this in perspective: It costs $48.00 to per child to feed them for a school year. They get roughly $105.00 per child a year to run the school. A recent study suggested that investing in teaching and learning support materials leads to better student outcomes (Rooyen, 2010, p. 166). Emafini receives about $48.00 per student in this area per year.
So lets just look at child nutrition. They go to school 201 days a year. So they feed their learners for $.23 cents a day. In one of my photos you can see the document that lists the only ingredients they are allowed to purchase for lunches. Having seen the lunch staff cooking, they do an excellent job with the resources provided. They do all the cooking as unpaid volunteers. They are family members of the children that attend.
After I get to see a school that is "well" off I will contrast some of the perceived budget differences.
Rooyen, J. V. Managing teaching and learning in South African schools.
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