Uitzig High School – two views

THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is going ahead with formal processes to close the Uitzig Senior Secondary School despite receiving a Western Cape High Court order to fix the vandalised school.

This ruling comes after the school’s governing body (SGB) took the department to court to keep it open when Education MEC Debbie Schafer ordered its closure after continued vandalism over the December holidays made it “unsafe”.

In a statement on Friday, the provincial education department’s head of education, Brian Schreuder, said an agreement was reached with the SGB to suspend further court action until the department had completed formal processes required to close the school.

“We welcome the agreement and will now continue with the consultation process required by the South African Schools Act.

“Today’s [Friday’s] agreement follows an application by the SGB on February 22 for an order obliging the WCED to rebuild the school and an interdict to prevent the department from moving learners to nearby schools until this was done,” said Schreuder.

He said the consultative process had now started, with a letter from the MEC informing the school’s governing body of her intention to consider closing the school on June 30.

The department agreed not to move learners or teachers to nearby schools and maintain mobile ablution facilities, provide a source of drinking water for pupils and staff, and provide two security guards on a 24-hour basis.

Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich said it had taken court action to force the department to provide facilities in accordance to their own norms and standards.

“They have been trying to close this school for the last three years and this uncertainty within the community had drawn vandals to the

‘We will fight them again and this school will remain open’

school.

‘‘We will fight them again and this school will remain open, and we hope the learners will now be able to better focus on their schooling,” said Ehrenreich.

He said the equal distribution of resources was a question of attitude by government departments rather than of means, as all children had a right to the same standards of schooling.

WCED spokesperson Paddy Attwell said Schaefer would make a final decision regarding the school’s closure after considering the representations of all interested parties.