What is a Section 21 school?
A Section 21 school is a public school whose governing body has been given extra responsibilities under section 21 of the South African Schools Act. In practice it means the school receives its state allocation as money in its own bank account and manages it, instead of the provincial department buying things on its behalf.
The five functions
The Act lists the functions a governing body can apply for:
- Maintaining and improving the school's property, buildings and grounds
- Deciding on extra-mural activities and the choice of subjects, within provincial curriculum policy
- Buying textbooks, educational materials and equipment
- Paying for services to the school, such as water, electricity and municipal services
- Providing adult education classes, subject to the applicable laws
A school can hold some or all of these. The Department of Basic Education's masterlist records which ones, using the letters A to E.
Section 21 vs non-Section 21
At a non-Section 21 school (sometimes called a Section 20 school), the provincial department manages the school's allocation and orders goods and services for it. Section 21 status gives a school more control and flexibility, but its governing body must have the capacity to manage money, keep proper records and have its books audited every year.
Does it matter for parents?
Section 21 status is not a measure of quality. It mostly tells you about how the school is run. A well-run Section 21 school can respond faster to needs like repairs or textbooks. Find a school's status under School facts on its SchoolsInfo page.