Parents at some of the Cape Town schools to close at the end of the year are concerned for their children’s safety.
|||Cape Town - Parents at some of the schools to close at the end of the year are concerned for their children’s safety as they will have to rely on transport arranged by the provincial Education Department to get to their new schools.
On Tuesday. Education MEC Donald Grant announced that 20 schools would be closed at the end of the year for a number of reasons, including dwindling or low pupil numbers and multigrade teaching.
Nettie Koordom, governing body chairwoman at Bergrivier NGK Primary in Wellington, said the pupils refused to go to another school. “They don’t want to go to school by bus.”
Sharon Filander, governing body chairwoman at Bracken Hill EK Primary near Knysna, said parents “don’t want their children to take the bus. They said this is no option”.
Lititia October, acting principal at Denneprag Primary in Mossel Bay, said children would have to get up earlier for school and would arrive home later.
Grant’s spokeswoman Bronagh Casey said rigorous safety measures were applied to transport contracted by the department. The measures included a team of seven officials who checked whether contractors were complying with conditions.
Members of the team travelled with road inspectors to carry out spot checks.
Each district also had officials responsible for managing the transport scheme in their areas. Casey said that while road traffic regulations required transport suppliers to renew roadworthy certificates every 12 months, the department required them every six months.
Grant said Education Department employees, including teachers and support staff, would move with pupils to their new schools or alternative schools would be sought. Where a pupil had to move from a no-fee to a fee-paying school the department would pay their fees in 2013. Where necessary, the department would assist parents to apply for fee exemptions.
David Millar, provincial chairman of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA, said it was commendable that the financial circumstances and concerns of parents had been considered.
“Naptosa notes that safe transport has been promised and the union appeals to the education and transport MECs to monitor official learner transport constantly.”
ilse.fredericks@inl.co.za
Cape Argus