Sandringham High School calls on community to help with finances

Struggling to meet monthly financial obligations, including extremely high municipal bills, has created a huge operational challenge for Sandringham High School, reports North Eastern Tribune.

The school has been going through difficult times recently, apparently because parents are failing to pay school fees. Between September and December last year, the school experienced one water disconnection and two electricity disconnections.

Established in 1967 as a predominantly Jewish school attended by learners in Sandringham, it has since transformed into a multiracial school and is now classified as a Section 21 school. According to school governing body deputy chairperson Ayanda Matthew, this means it is a fee-paying school and must sustain itself from the school fees collected.

But with parents failing to honour their commitment, the school has to look elsewhere for finances. Situated in an affluent suburb, it is a Quintile 5 school, which means that funding from the Gauteng department of education is minimal. Now the school is calling on the community to support and invest in the school, especially its alumni, to restore the school to its former glory.

The school has good facilities, but due to financial constraints, its upkeep has been neglected, said Matthew. “The school is really falling apart… there are broken windows and doors that need to be fixed and the tiles inside the classrooms are cracking as well.”

“Parents have been not paying school fees even though we pleaded with them in our parents’ meetings.”

Acting principal Mmethi Malesela said about 50% of the parents were unable to pay for the school fees. The little funds that they have or manage to collect are used to pay salaries and run the school, but they’re unable to keep up.

Malesela urges the community to assist.

Details: Sandringham High School 011 640 3047.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.