Today the Eastern Cape Education Department has been inundated with calls from the community members and media institutions about the alleged closure of KwaFord Primary school. The school is in New Brighton within the Port Elizabeth education district.
It is alleged that the closure of the school is due to the fact that the department seeks to allow a private person/company to open an independent school in the premises. It is so unfortunate that this unfounded rumour has caused a panic in the community leading to a delegation visiting the district offices for clarity.
As part of its obligation to ensure that it operates viable schools, the department has approached the school community of KwaFord Primary school after it noticed dwindling numbers over the past three years like it did last year.
The consultation was to bring the school community on board about available avenues to explore in addressing this matter. Amongst these is an option to consider merging the primary with a nearby Phendla Primary school to ensure that children from this community are able to access education within the same range.
This consideration was due to the fact that the school currently does not meet minimum prescripts to exist as a primary namely:
- The school has only 66 enrolled learners while a small primary according to the law is supposed to have a minimum of 135 enrolled learners;
- Additionally, the school has three educators meaning its staff compliment is based on these numbers;
- These numbers mean that while it is starting from Grades one to seven (Grades 1-7); it shall operates as a multi-grade institution due to that.
It should be noted that despite the dwindling numbers of learners over the past three years, a recent meeting between the departmental officials and the school community resolved that:
- The department will allow the school community to devise mechanisms to attract learners for next academic year.
It should be noted that with this resolution, the department is not intending to give the community an open-ended time frame, rather to allow it to work towards resolving the issue. Additionally, the department seeks to rescue the situation through ensuring that effective teaching and learning of learners takes place.
Therefore, the department refutes and dispels the notion that it intends to close down the school and the merger is the only available option to consider!
Apart from this, the department would like to wish all its Grade 12 learners the best as they prepare for their trail examination starting on the 31st of August 2015, ending on the 29th September 2015.
Enquiries:
Mali Mtima
Cell: 084 230 1976
