The price of a private school education continues to increase sharply despite recommendations from South African governing bodies to keep them as low as possible.
Speaking to BusinessTech, Paul Colditz, who is the Chief Executive of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools, said that financial hardship hit private schools harder than it hit public schools.
“I think you will see a decrease in enrolment in private schools,” he said.
While most schools did heed the call to limit price hikes, when operating with such a high baseline price, a small percentage increase still equates to a substantial rand amount.
In 2014, there was only one school that was priced over R200 000 for boarding and tuition, which was Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2021, there are over 30 private schools within that price bracket.
Hilton and its neighbouring Michaelhouse have reportedly pushed into the R300 000 bracket.
There are a number of schools located in the Western Cape which are among the country’s most expensive day schools. These include Herzlia High School, St Cyprian’s and Herschel Girls’ School.
Here is a breakdown of the fee structure from 2020 to 2021.
