Senior officials from the Gauteng Department of Education yesterday had a lengthy meeting with representatives of all five schools’ governing body associations in order to collectively seek appropriate responses to the pressures placed on schools by growing learner numbers in the province.
The Department is seeking the support of school governing bodies from across the province in dealing with an influx of learners connected to the province’s growing overall population. Attending the meeting were representatives of Fedsas, the Governor’s Alliance, the Governing Bodies’ Federation, National Association of School Governing Bodies, and the National Association of Parents in School Governance.
“We are seeking ways of working collaboratively with school governing bodies as we ask schools to accept additional learners according to the capacity individual schools are able to absorb,” said GDE spokesman Charles Phahlane. “The discussions were detailed, and very clear on the need for a mutually acceptable solution which will allow Gauteng to continue to provide the best possible education to the largest number of pupils possible.”
Suggestions that schools in some parts of the province might be coerced into taking more pupils than they are able to accommodate are devoid of any truth whatsoever. The whole point of the meeting yesterday was together to find workable solutions acceptable to all sides.
Phahlane said should misconceptions suggesting any form of coercion have arisen, the Department regretted these, because they are false.
It was not yet possible to provide final numbers of learners in the province for next year. “Learner registration and the processes which follow as we work to accommodate as many children in their schools of choice and deal with appeals by individual parents are still underway,” said Phahlane.
Enquiries:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
