The RBI currently has a wide range of programmes to augment the public schooling system in the area, provide facilities for early childhood development and TVET, support tertiary students with bursaries, and build young local leaders. Furthermore, Lebone II College of the Royal Bafokeng Nation is a private school of excellence with a high proportion of subsidised local learners.
In addition to these offerings, the RBI is exploring the possibility of establishing and running a series of low-fee private schools, offering excellent education at an affordable cost to parents.
To assist in establishing the viability of low fee private schools, the RBI CEO requested assistance from the RBA Research Department to appoint an expert researcher to conduct a short study to test the level of demand for such schools in the RBN area. Professor Heystek from the North West University in the education department was contracted to conduct this study. The Research and Knowledge department will help design the methodology, provide quantitative datasets, facilitate field workers and edit the draft report.
Scope
The study is to include the following elements:
Brief summary of existing knowledge and experience regarding the financial viability of low fee private schools in poor rural areas;
Analysis of existing demographic data on the RBN population (available from the RBA Research Department from RBN-internal census data and SA government census data) to stratify the population according to income levels and numbers of school-age children to establish the possible levels of demand. This analysis will also be spatialised to advise on the appropriate location(s) of the schools;
Short qualitative field study to assess the attitudes toward and demand for low fee private schools in the RBN;
Provision of concrete and spatialised demand quantification for different fee levels.
