The fight to get the education department to extend classes at a Port Alfred Afrikaans medium township school through to matric, stepped up a gear on Saturday when concerned pupils, parents and politicians marched to town to hand over a petition demanding immediate action.
Although the community march was peaceful, anger is mounting in Station Hill as dozens of pupils fall through the cracks every year because their poor parents cannot afford to send them away to Afrikaans medium schools to finish matric.
Local DA MP Andrew Whitfield and MPL Edmund van Vuuren, who is shadow MEC for education in the province, attended the march and vowed to raise the issue at provincial and national level.
Parents, who went to the Afrikaans medium Port Alfred Primary School themselves years ago, said the problem of where to finish matric had been around since they were at the school.
Unemployed Melissa Marais, who had to go school in Grahamstown in the 90s to finish her matric, said her 16-year-old son, Claude, was sitting around at home doing nothing as they could not afford to send him to the nearest Afrikaans medium schools – which are 50km away in Alexandria and Grahamstown – and full beyond capacity.
“It is giving me sleepless nights; my child has no future…nobody will give him a job with a Grade 9 school pass.”
Although the school has been expanded to Grade 9 since she was there, Marais said it was vital that three more grades be added so local children could finish matric at home in the language of their choice.
DA ward councillor Jane Cowley, who organised the march, said there was land available in the area to build a high school to relieve pressure on Port Alfred Primary.
She said the school was bursting at the seams after it was expanded in recent years and was now teaching 840 children in classrooms built for 250 pupils.
Although attempts to get the education department to comment yesterday proved fruitless, spokesman Malibongwe Mtima recently told the Dispatch there was a shortage of Afrikaans medium teachers nationally and that lots of schools were in a similar situation.
Even if they can get their children into schools in other towns, many parents cannot afford to pay for accommodation in hostels or at cheaper private homes, where they are allegedly sometimes abused.
Handing over a petition of 600 signatures to Van Vuuren, parent Johannes Opperman said the community was dead set against the idea of sending their children away to finish school.
“When we send our children to other schools they sometimes come back drug addicts or pregnant. We want our kids to have a future.” — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Station Hill march highlights need to extend classes
Although the community march was peaceful, anger is mounting in Station Hill as dozens of pupils fall through the cracks every year because their poor parents cannot afford to send them away to Afrikaans medium schools to finish matric.
Local DA MP Andrew Whitfield and MPL Edmund van Vuuren, who is shadow MEC for education in the province, attended the march and vowed to raise the issue at provincial and national level.
Parents, who went to the Afrikaans medium Port Alfred Primary School themselves years ago, said the problem of where to finish matric had been around since they were at the school.
Unemployed Melissa Marais, who had to go school in Grahamstown in the 90s to finish her matric, said her 16-year-old son, Claude, was sitting around at home doing nothing as they could not afford to send him to the nearest Afrikaans medium schools – which are 50km away in Alexandria and Grahamstown – and full beyond capacity.
“It is giving me sleepless nights; my child has no future…nobody will give him a job with a Grade 9 school pass.”
Although the school has been expanded to Grade 9 since she was there, Marais said it was vital that three more grades be added so local children could finish matric at home in the language of their choice.
DA ward councillor Jane Cowley, who organised the march, said there was land available in the area to build a high school to relieve pressure on Port Alfred Primary.
She said the school was bursting at the seams after it was expanded in recent years and was now teaching 840 children in classrooms built for 250 pupils.
Although attempts to get the education department to comment yesterday proved fruitless, spokesman Malibongwe Mtima recently told the Dispatch there was a shortage of Afrikaans medium teachers nationally and that lots of schools were in a similar situation.
Even if they can get their children into schools in other towns, many parents cannot afford to pay for accommodation in hostels or at cheaper private homes, where they are allegedly sometimes abused.
Handing over a petition of 600 signatures to Van Vuuren, parent Johannes Opperman said the community was dead set against the idea of sending their children away to finish school.
“When we send our children to other schools they sometimes come back drug addicts or pregnant. We want our kids to have a future.” — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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