Uitsig ‘too damaged to be fixed’
THE WESTERN Cape Education Department appears to have given the strongest indication yet that it plans to close Uitsig Secondary School in Elsies River, after the school was stripped of its electrical wiring and water piping this week.
The school continues to be hit by vandals, with another incident as recently as early yesterday morning, despite the presence of security guards.
Department spokesperson Paddy Attwell said yesterday that “remedial work is no longer viable”.
“The school has no electricity and no water because criminals have stolen electrical cables, water pipes and light fixtures. Thieves are also targeting the school for building materials and dismantling the classrooms piece by piece.”
The department was due to meet parents and community members today to discuss the way forward, but it appears the pupils will have to be moved to other schools in the area permanently.
Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said the residents of Uitsig had taken it upon themselves to do repairs because they didn’t want the school to be shut down.
“It has been three years now that the department has been trying to shut down the school, instead of finding a viable solution. They are just taking the easy way out.”
He said despite the adversity faced by the school, it had managed a 75% matric pass rate last year, and moving the children would adversely affect their studies.
“If the school is shut down, the pupils will have to travel far to get to other schools. With the high gangsterism rate in the area, they have a greater chance of being exposed to it if they have to walk long distances to school.” Ehrenreich also slammed the department for not spending money on the poorest schools in the Western Cape, a claim Attwell denied.
“We have a legal obligation to ensure that pupils receive schooling in a safe and suitable environment,” he said. – leletu. gxuluwe@inl.co.za