Department to close 136 unviable E Cape schools this year

The department of education is planning to close 136 unviable small schools and move pupils to bigger and better resourced nearby institutions by the end of this year.

This is part of the department’s rationalisation programme in an attempt to improve the quality of education.

In 2012 the department announced its intention to close 2077 schools with very low enrolment figures and merge them with larger ones for more effective schooling.

In an interview with the Daily Dispatch, the team leaders for the rationalisation project, Jonathan Godden and Phaphama Mfenyana, said the 10-year programme officially started last year when the first notices were issued to a list of targeted schools and public hearings were conducted.

They said:

lThe construction of hostels would be proposed in cases where schools were too far for children to travel;

lScholar transport was not guaranteed for pupils affected by the merge;

lThe department assured that teachers, principals and support staff would not lose their jobs during the process; and

lSchools that belong to government would be handed over to the department of public works and those built by communities would be given back to the communities.

Godden said the list of schools to be closed this year was awaiting approval from the education MEC Mandla Makupula, and more public hearings would be conducted after his input.

“We have already issued letters to inform the schools in question of the intention to merge them.

“We published a notice inviting comments from the public, giving them reasons for the proposed merger. We have viewed some of the responses and a lot of them were negative,” said Godden.

Godden said some of the resistance stemmed from sentimental values attached to some of the schools, such as a school being named after a prominent person in the village.

The schools listed for closure are located in 15 districts, with 43 schools in Dutywa, followed by King William’s Town with 24 and 15 schools in Sterkspruit.

Other districts include Libode; East London; Mount Frere

(KwaBhaca); Qumbu; Butterworth; Queenstown (Komani); Cradock; Ngcobo; Graaff-Reinet and Uitenhage. “The schools on the list were identified as quick mergers as no construction of additional classrooms will be required,” said Godden.

Giving a breakdown of some of the findings, Godden said some schools have just eight pupils enrolled with one teacher.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union secretary in the province, Chris Mdingi said the union did not oppose the programme but would “fight” any official who does not follow the policies of the programme and the process of redirecting a teacher to another school.

“The department should first look at what makes these schools unviable and address what is lacking. Because the moment you fail to supply proper resources, there will be an exodus,” said Mdingi.

Education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said during consultations it had been made clear there would be no job losses resulting from rationalisation.

“Teachers will be redirected to schools with vacancies for their particular learning area. Principals will also be allocated to principal positions that are vacant,” said Pulumani. — arethal@dispatch.co.za