The Head of the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has instructed the Central Methodist Church to close down an illegal school operating at its premises in Small Street, Johannesburg.
This school is operating in contravention of government policy. The venue is not conducive to learning and teaching with adults living and sleeping on the premises throughout the day, teaching taking place in church pews, four different classes conducted in one room, there are no chalkboards or teaching aids and health and safety is compromised. Educators are also not registered with the South African Council of Educators (SACE).
The GDE has been assisting the church to register learners at its premises. The church identified a site at Albert Street and submitted an application for a combined school. They were advised that older learners should be separated from younger learners.
In August during a visit to the Albert Street School site there were only primary school learners. The school said it was acquiring property for secondary school learners. The school principal was informed that they would need to submit documentation to register the secondary school.
These have not been forwarded to the department. The Albert Street School was granted provisional registration last month with conditions including that they should have a play area, more ablution facilities and the health certificate needs to be reviewed.
This week the GDE sent a team headed by one of our top executive management to visit the site at Small Street. What we found there is as follows:
- There are 232 learners on site, the majority of them are from Zimbabwe.
- The school operates the Cambridge curriculum.
- We understand that some of the learners are writing Cambridge O and A level exams at present.
The GDE has therefore taken the following steps with effect from Friday, 5 November 2010:
1. Learners will be transported and accommodated for daily lessons at an alternative venue until the end of the year to allow them to be fully compliant.
2. GDE will provide alternative tuition until the educators are registered by SACE.
The GDE met with the church leadership, learners and educators today where this was explained to them. The church leadership is cooperating with the department and learners expressed joy that they would be going to a new premise where they will have a desk and a chair to work from.
Learners were given letters to inform their parents of this temporary relocation Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. They will report to the church on Friday morning whereupon they will be transported to Sci-Bono Discovery Centre.
It is illegal to operate a school without registration. Illegal schools normally have no registration number, educators are not registered with SACE, they teach more than one grade in a class, and have no proper facilities for learning and teaching. Learners from such schools may have to repeat a grade if they apply to public schools or registered independent schools. Parents may not be able to recover fees paid when such a school is discovered and shut down.
If you are aware of any illegally operating school in Gauteng please contact 011 355 0216 or gdemedia@gauteng.gov.za.
For more information contact:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496.
Source: SAPA
