Concern as 29Â 000 learners in the Western Cape not yet been placed at schools for 2022
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Loading... - Sameera Reine
- 03 Dec 2021
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The number of unplaced children in the Western Cape was recently disclosed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) during its parliamentary presentation on preparedness for the 2022 academic year.
Portfolio Committee on Basic Education chairperson, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said they noted the numbers. “It is concerning, but we also understand the reasons provided by the DBE for these learners not being placed.”
By the end of March this year, about 500 primary school pupils from Forest Village in Eerste River were not yet placed. That prompted their parents to protest outside the legislature and start a makeshift school.
The situation led to the Public Service Commission and the South African Human Rights Commission stating that they would investigate.
The Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) said the Western Cape had an ongoing problem with unplaced pupils, and that next year would be no different.
“We have received an influx of cases through our advice clinic from parents looking for placement for their children. Education districts play a vital role when it comes to assisting parents to place learners, however they can be unresponsive and send parents from pillar to post, instead of providing them with the requisite assistance,” the EELC said.
It said it had been engaging the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) for years on whether a plan to adequately deal with unplaced pupils existed.
“We acknowledge problems around budget cuts and the implications of this on obtaining additional infrastructure and more teachers. However, this is all the more reason for the WCED to come up with a clear and responsive plan, something they have consistently failed to adequately do.”
National Association of School Governing Bodies chief executive Matekanye Matakanye said the WCED had no choice but to ensure all children were placed; if not, it would be taken to court for trampling on the children’s rights.
ANC provincial spokesperson on education Khalid Sayed, who recently questioned Education MEC Debbie Schäfer on learner admissions for 2022, said that in asking the questions about learner placement issues, they had hoped that the MEC and WCED would be transparent and as open as possible, so they could start assisting where they could in terms of crisis management. Read More…
