ANOTHER 32 Eastern Cape schools are set to close their doors after the provincial education department announced its intention to gazette the closures.
The schools to be closed were identified as “white elephants” as there had not been learning or teaching taking place in them.
They are in addition to 310 schools already gazetted for closure by the provincial authorities to allow school governing bodies and communities to register their concerns.
The 310 facilities were where parents decided to move their children to receive a better education elsewhere or families migrated to other areas in the country.
Others were dysfunctional and badly- managed resulting in poor teaching and learning outcomes.
Officially, the department of education has shut down doors of learning to 58 schools in the province in the past three years.
The Daily Dispatch has learnt about the department’s plans to gazette 32 schools yesterday .
Department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said some of the building structures of closed schools were used by the department. “There are cases where we need additional classrooms or in some instances other schools are undergoing renovations, then we use these facilities.
“When a school closes, it’s just entity or the name of the school that is ‘closed’, not the actual infrastructure. ”
Closed schools continue to form part of the education department’s asset register until such time they had been moved to the provincial department of roads and public works, which is a custodian of state assets, to decide about the future of the facility.
When a school closes, the role played by the education department was taking over the remaining “learner-teacher support materials” (LTSM) to nearby district offices.
LTSM include textbooks, stationery, desks, chairs, chalkboards, chalk and dusters.
Spokesman for the provincial department of roads and public works Sisanda George confirmed that the department would decide on the closed schools once the education department has officially vacated the buildings.
“We are the custodians of these structures.
“But, as for now these schools are part of the education’s asset register. We have not been informed of any intention to move them to public works.”
George said the department would safeguard the facilities to ensure they were safe until government decided on their future use.
He said some of the schools could be used for several activities by government and that other departments could find the structures for government programmes.
George cited Butterworth districts office as an example a former school building had been utilised as an office.
“We come to such a decision after one of sister departments come to us with an intention to use the facilities,” George said. —
32 more EC schools to shut down
The schools to be closed were identified as “white elephants” as there had not been learning or teaching taking place in them.
They are in addition to 310 schools already gazetted for closure by the provincial authorities to allow school governing bodies and communities to register their concerns.
The 310 facilities were where parents decided to move their children to receive a better education elsewhere or families migrated to other areas in the country.
Others were dysfunctional and badly- managed resulting in poor teaching and learning outcomes.
Officially, the department of education has shut down doors of learning to 58 schools in the province in the past three years.
The Daily Dispatch has learnt about the department’s plans to gazette 32 schools yesterday .
Department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said some of the building structures of closed schools were used by the department. “There are cases where we need additional classrooms or in some instances other schools are undergoing renovations, then we use these facilities.
“When a school closes, it’s just entity or the name of the school that is ‘closed’, not the actual infrastructure. ”
Closed schools continue to form part of the education department’s asset register until such time they had been moved to the provincial department of roads and public works, which is a custodian of state assets, to decide about the future of the facility.
When a school closes, the role played by the education department was taking over the remaining “learner-teacher support materials” (LTSM) to nearby district offices.
LTSM include textbooks, stationery, desks, chairs, chalkboards, chalk and dusters.
Spokesman for the provincial department of roads and public works Sisanda George confirmed that the department would decide on the closed schools once the education department has officially vacated the buildings.
“We are the custodians of these structures.
“But, as for now these schools are part of the education’s asset register. We have not been informed of any intention to move them to public works.”
George said the department would safeguard the facilities to ensure they were safe until government decided on their future use.
He said some of the schools could be used for several activities by government and that other departments could find the structures for government programmes.
George cited Butterworth districts office as an example a former school building had been utilised as an office.
“We come to such a decision after one of sister departments come to us with an intention to use the facilities,” George said. —
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos