Worried Port Alfred parents yesterday appealed to the education department to save their children from crime, drugs and teenage pregnancy by adding three more grades to the town’s only Afrikaans medium school.
Several Station Hill mothers told the Daily Dispatch their children faced a bleak future after they finished Grade 9 at Port Alfred Primary School as they could not afford to send them 50km away so they could write matric in Afrikaans.
They also could not find space in already full Afrikaans schools and children were sitting around doing nothing.
“The children want to go to class but their mothers cannot afford R1000 a month to send them to boarding school in Grahamstown or Alexandria,” single parent of two, Millicent Marais, said.
Although accommodation was cheaper at private homes in towns near the schools, Marais and other parents claimed children were often abused and beaten when boarding with strangers.
According to Marais, one child who was unable to find a school to go to this year had attempted suicide while others got hooked on drugs and did crime
Although sympathetic to the plight of the Port Alfred students, Bhisho education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima yesterday said it would be difficult to introduce more grades at Port Alfred Primêre Skool because of a national shortage of qualified Afrikaans teachers.
According to Mtima, several Afrikaans schools in the province – which were filled to capacity –- were struggling to fill posts with people able to teach subjects like maths, science and accounting.
He said it would take up to five years to address the shortage.
Mtima, however, said he would contact local education officials to see if they could help the Station Hill students who were unable to get into Afrikaans medium schools.
Sixteen-year-old Jean Pierre Samuel, who completed Grade 9 last year, said he was worried for his future after spending almost three months of this year walking the streets at night and sleeping in late in the mornings.
Samuel said it was difficult for his mother Averil to raise and school seven children as an unemployed single parent.
Although Ndlambe DA councillor Jane Cowley conceded space shortages at Afrikaans medium schools had reached crisis levels, she said submissions to Bhisho to try and help the Station Hill children had fallen on deaf ears.
She said sending Afrikaans speaking learners to nearby Xhosa schools was not an option as the teenagers would not be able to cope with language challenges. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Parents in plea for more teachers
Several Station Hill mothers told the Daily Dispatch their children faced a bleak future after they finished Grade 9 at Port Alfred Primary School as they could not afford to send them 50km away so they could write matric in Afrikaans.
They also could not find space in already full Afrikaans schools and children were sitting around doing nothing.
“The children want to go to class but their mothers cannot afford R1000 a month to send them to boarding school in Grahamstown or Alexandria,” single parent of two, Millicent Marais, said.
Although accommodation was cheaper at private homes in towns near the schools, Marais and other parents claimed children were often abused and beaten when boarding with strangers.
According to Marais, one child who was unable to find a school to go to this year had attempted suicide while others got hooked on drugs and did crime
Although sympathetic to the plight of the Port Alfred students, Bhisho education spokesman Malibongwe Mtima yesterday said it would be difficult to introduce more grades at Port Alfred Primêre Skool because of a national shortage of qualified Afrikaans teachers.
According to Mtima, several Afrikaans schools in the province – which were filled to capacity –- were struggling to fill posts with people able to teach subjects like maths, science and accounting.
He said it would take up to five years to address the shortage.
Mtima, however, said he would contact local education officials to see if they could help the Station Hill students who were unable to get into Afrikaans medium schools.
Sixteen-year-old Jean Pierre Samuel, who completed Grade 9 last year, said he was worried for his future after spending almost three months of this year walking the streets at night and sleeping in late in the mornings.
Samuel said it was difficult for his mother Averil to raise and school seven children as an unemployed single parent.
Although Ndlambe DA councillor Jane Cowley conceded space shortages at Afrikaans medium schools had reached crisis levels, she said submissions to Bhisho to try and help the Station Hill children had fallen on deaf ears.
She said sending Afrikaans speaking learners to nearby Xhosa schools was not an option as the teenagers would not be able to cope with language challenges. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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