A critical analysis of the National Norms and Standards for School Funding policy: Implications for social justice and equity in South Africa

Assessment of the legacy of apartheid at the end of the apartheid era in South Africa highlighted major inequalities between white and black, urban and rural areas, and several departments of education. Eighteen years into democracy, the country needs to distinguish between the initiatives taken by the government to address the apartheid legacy, the actual changes made in education and the results thereof, and the continuities and discontinuities in education. Historically disadvantaged schools now receive larger state funding (no-fee schools) and school fee exemptions are granted to lower income or unemployed parents who find difficulty in paying school fees for their children, regardless of race. The public schooling system, especially township schools, is still characterized by low pass rates, low teacher and learner morale, a resurgence of violence amongst learners, ineffective leadership by school managers, poor governance by school governing boards and generally declining school quality, efficiency and effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF) policy, in order to assess whether this post-apartheid government policy has succeeded in addressing social justice and equity in public primary and secondary education.