Seventy-two Mooiplaas pupils are in limbo after Khanyile Primary School was closed by the school governing body (SGB) with immediate effect.
Khanyile school principal Madodomzi Mpongo said he supported the decision taken by the parents. He said their problems started in 2013 when the school enrolled fewer than 100 pupils.
“In 2013 our Grade 1 teacher left and the department took forever to replace her. In 2014, the department started the alignment and rationalisation process that the parents and I cooperated with.
“Late last year the department published its circulars and our school had to release two teachers because our numbers were less than 150,” Mpongo said.
Mpongo showed the Dispatch a number of e-mails and letters he had written to the department, some dating back to 2013, with the most recent addressed to Education MEC Mandla Makupula requesting immediate assistance.
The department had announced the school would be merged with another. Instead, the school found itself with only two teachers to teach Grades R to 7.
In the provincial infrastructure plan of the education department, the department stated that as an alternative solution to the infrastructure backlog, it would rationalise small schools in the province.
The department argued that it would merge schools which had less than 135 pupils as it would not be cost-effective to provide infrastructure for such a limited number of pupils.
SGB chairwoman Nosithile Gobe said the department of education had handled the case carelessly and the parents had decided to close the school as a result.
“Our children did not receive progress reports for the past term. We are not even sure if they are going to write the June examination because there is not much that they have learnt,” Gobe said.
The parents said the department went through with the alignment and they agreed for their children to be merged with Soto Primary School, 12km from Khanyile. “After we agreed with the department to merge our school they never came back to transport our children, saying the department of transport does not have funds to transport our children while the teachers have been taken already,” Gobe said. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
Pupils in limbo after SGB closes school
Khanyile school principal Madodomzi Mpongo said he supported the decision taken by the parents. He said their problems started in 2013 when the school enrolled fewer than 100 pupils.
“In 2013 our Grade 1 teacher left and the department took forever to replace her. In 2014, the department started the alignment and rationalisation process that the parents and I cooperated with.
“Late last year the department published its circulars and our school had to release two teachers because our numbers were less than 150,” Mpongo said.
Mpongo showed the Dispatch a number of e-mails and letters he had written to the department, some dating back to 2013, with the most recent addressed to Education MEC Mandla Makupula requesting immediate assistance.
The department had announced the school would be merged with another. Instead, the school found itself with only two teachers to teach Grades R to 7.
In the provincial infrastructure plan of the education department, the department stated that as an alternative solution to the infrastructure backlog, it would rationalise small schools in the province.
The department argued that it would merge schools which had less than 135 pupils as it would not be cost-effective to provide infrastructure for such a limited number of pupils.
SGB chairwoman Nosithile Gobe said the department of education had handled the case carelessly and the parents had decided to close the school as a result.
“Our children did not receive progress reports for the past term. We are not even sure if they are going to write the June examination because there is not much that they have learnt,” Gobe said.
The parents said the department went through with the alignment and they agreed for their children to be merged with Soto Primary School, 12km from Khanyile. “After we agreed with the department to merge our school they never came back to transport our children, saying the department of transport does not have funds to transport our children while the teachers have been taken already,” Gobe said. — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za
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