Don't let fly-by-night schools steal your child's future

Parents have been warned about fly-by-night private schools. A spokesman for the Department of Basic Education, Elijah Mhlanga, said every school, public or private, had to be registered.

He said parents should check with provincial departments before enrolling their children.

The Independent Schools Association, with more than 700 registered schools, had this advice on how to guard against dodgy institutions:

• Ask the school for its education management information system number;
• Make sure the school has a provisional accreditation number with Umalusi;
• Check if the teachers are registered with the South African Council of Educators;
• Ask if the school is registered with an independent schools association;
• In the case of a high school, ask for school-leaving examination results for the previous few years, especially the number of pupils qualifying to study at university;
• In the case of primary schools, ask for the results of the annual national assessments or other bench-marking tests; and
• For pre-primary schools, check whether these are registered with provincial health and welfare departments.

"There are many good public schools and independent schools that are not affiliated with any schools association [but] there are some substandard schools. Parents must make informed choices," said executive director Lebogang Montjane.