Community shuts Mfuleni schools

THE COMMUNITY of Mfuleni shut down all schools in the area yesterday claiming their children were still unplaced.

Parents, community leaders and pupils went from school to school closing them down.

Community leader Mzoli Matutu said they tried communicating with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) about the problem.

“We have 1 458 pupils that are not placed, and we sent emails to the department asking them to meet with us but they never respond,” he said.

Matutu said they asked the schools to close for now to show support until the WCED responds to them.

WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the people who took part in the disruption are allegedly part of a group that has illegally occupied the Rosendal Department of Higher Education Training Centre and created an illegal school, where they have also allegedly employed teachers. She said the group went from school to school in an attempt to threaten principals and cause disruption.

“The actions by a group of Mfuleni community members today cannot be condoned,” she said.

Hammond said despite attempts to verify the names or number of the pupils at the schools, management refused to hand over the list.

“The WCED has received reports from schools in the area that some registered learners were taken out of schools to attend this illegal school. Therefore at this stage we do not know how many learners are late applications, and how many have already been placed in a registered school,” she said.

The WCED has said the number of unplaced pupils had decreased since the beginning of the year.

Hammond said the numbers have decreased by 6400 from 13838 at the start of the year to 7438 as of February 26. She said the rapid growth in population in certain communities and late applications have contributed towards this.

“The WCED has placed mobiles (mobile classrooms) at schools to accommodate this growth, however, late applications and rapid growth cannot always be pre-determined.”

She added they “do not have the budget to simply place mobiles wherever there is a need – it also has additional budget implications, as it would require a teaching post for each mobile placed”.

Meanwhile, parents of children from Forest Village near Eerste River have opened a school under trees in Old Faure Road, because their children have not been placed.

They have asked unemployed teachers from the community to help teach their children.

Parent Aliziwe Mgqwetho the school still operates under because no one is coming to rescue.

“We have been engaging department about our situation they are not listening,” she said. said trees their

the but

AYANDA NDAMANE ABOUT 1 200 unplaced school kids from Mfuleni marched and shut down all Mfuleni schools demanding to be placed. Parents and community leaders decided to find a place for these learners and kicked the doors of an old school, the Rosendale High Education and Training centre. l African News Agency (ANA)