Education department ‘will pay’ shut boarding school its funds
HUNDREDS of pupils from St Matthews High School in Keiskamahoek shut down their school yesterday over insufficient funding which has brought the school’s administration to its knees.
This after the department only allocated R11 000 to the school for 2016 instead of R750 000 the boarding school was expecting.
The department had reportedly recorded only 98 of the 652 pupils in its system, leading to the lower allocation.
The department determines allocations based on the number of pupils registered at a school.
The funds are used among other things to buy stationery, pay support staff and upkeep boarding houses.
Yesterday, pupils blockaded an access road near the school with burning tree logs, preventing vehicles from passing. This continued until a hailstorm hit.
Principal Eman Adekpomya said suppliers have cancelled the school’s accounts due to outstanding debts.
Adekpomya said day-to-day running of the school was impossible without the funds and that the situation is so dire that even printers do not have ink and paper.
“The suppliers said we must make sure our accounts are up to date but we don’t have money to pay the accounts.”
Adekpomya said he had brought the problem to the attention the district office.
Deputy chairman of the school governing body (SGB) Eric Matsha said, “as the deputy chairperson of this school I can confirm that the total leaner population here is 652 pupils not 98”.
He said the R11 000 allocated by the department had dried up a long time ago and the school was struggling to operate.
“Exams are just around the corner but pupils don’t have exam material including other basic things like disinfectants and toiletries for the hostels.”
Parent of a Grade 8 pupil Nobuhle Khavi accused district education bosses of arrogance and selfishness.
“They don’t care because they are not affected as their kids are studying in private schools. Our kids must suffer because these people are not giving them quality education.”
Eastern Cape education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said the funds had been paid and will reflect in the school bank account tomorrow.
Pulumani said the money had been delayed because the school had not been complying with some of the requirements for funding. According to Pulumani the school failed to submit identity copies of every pupil for capturing and verification in the system on time.
“The department is enjoined in law to only make the trench transfers for legally admitted learners. Transfer of the money to the school is per leaner and the department has made it clear that we will not transfer funds unless IDs of learners have been submitted and verified by our system”. —