The purpose of the study reported on here was to investigate the implementation of the no-fee schools policy in quintile 1 schools in the Frances Baard district of the Northern Cape province. The South African schooling system categorises schools into quintile 1 to 5 schools, and, since 2006, disadvantaged learners in quintiles 1 to 3 have been exempted from paying fees. This study explored the perceptions of school principals regarding the implementation of the no-fee policy in the South African context, by applying a capability approach, which offers a novel perspective. In the study we used a descriptive design located within the qualitative tradition. Nine principals from quintile 1 schools were purposively selected as participants. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, and a thematic framework was used for analysis. The findings indicate that the no-fee schools policy is only implemented partially by stakeholders (principals and school governing bodies). Furthermore, it was found that there is a lack of knowledge about the content of the policy which consequently inhibits effective implementation. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Department of Education monitors the implementation of the no-fee policy more closely. Keywords: capability approach; education; no-fee policy; quintile; schools; South Africa

中文翻译：

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从能力理论的角度看校长对免费政策实施的看法

此处报告的研究的目的是调查北开普省 Frances Baard 区五分之一学校免费学校政策的实施情况。南非的学校教育系统将学校分为 1 至 5 所学校，自 2006 年以来，1 至 3 中的弱势学习者免交学费。本研究通过应用能力方法探讨了校长对在南非实施免费政策的看法，该方法提供了一种新颖的视角。在研究中，我们使用了位于定性传统中的描述性设计。来自五分之一学校的九名校长被有目的地选为参与者。使用半结构化访谈收集数据，并使用主题框架进行分析。调查结果表明，免费学校政策仅部分由利益相关者（校长和学校管理机构）实施。此外，还发现缺乏对政策内容的了解，从而阻碍了有效实施。根据调查结果，建议教育部更密切地监督免费政策的实施。关键词：能力方法；教育; 免费政策；五分之一; 学校；南非 建议教育部更密切地监督免费政策的实施。关键词：能力方法；教育; 免费政策；五分之一; 学校；南非 建议教育部更密切地监督免费政策的实施。关键词：能力方法；教育; 免费政策；五分之一; 学校；南非