schools
8 March 2007
Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore today announced a Task Team that
will investigate and offer recommendations on various issues in schools in the
Saldanha municipal area, including allegations of racism, access, transport,
school fees and provisioning.
The Task Team was established after MEC Dugmore was invited by the community
of Laingville in St Helena Bay earlier, to hear complaints of school-going
children not attending school at the beginning of this year.
The Task Team, headed by the MEC's Advisor Archie Lewis, has the following
brief:
* investigate allegations of racism at Vredenburg High School where learners
from St Helena Bay complained of certain specific comments
* investigate and advise on school fees at relevant schools (in the
region)
* look at utilisation of available space and provisioning issues within the
relevant region, including learner transport and its effectiveness
* ensure that any learner still not in school is suitably placed as soon as
possible
* review pass and failure rates of Grade 10 learners for the period 2005-2006
at the Vredenburg High School, with special reference to the learners from the
Laingville area
* review relevant teacher and learner portfolios at Vredenburg High School.
A community meeting arranged earlier by a local community grouping, calling
themselves the Education Crisis Committee levelled various allegations against
some schools in the region.
The meeting was attended by 500 parents, learners, teachers, principals and
senior officials of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) as well as
local MP Maxwell Moss, MPL Mathilda Vantura, councillors and the media.
Parents expressed alarm at the large numbers of learners from certain areas
not performing at a certain standard at some schools due to a non-conducive
environment. Many children have difficulty getting into a school of choice;
there are varying fee structures and transport services are indifferent for
learners from poor communities.
Although the majority of concerns raised were about Vredenburg High School,
the concern was also more widespread and related to education and access to
opportunity in the area in general.
MEC Dugmore acknowledged the concerns of the community and agreed to an
immediate intervention. He said priority would be given to the West Coast in
developing an Integrated Education Development Plan. This plan needs to address
issues of Transformation, Language Policy including Multilingualism and the
starting of a process to investigate the feasibility of a high school for St
Helena Bay.
The ad hoc Task Team will include senior officials from the WCED, members of
the local Education Crisis Committee, representatives of the school governing
bodies of all high schools, a parent, councillor and teacher unions.
The MEC has the authority to include any other members onto the Task Team as
he deems fit. The Task Team has the mandate to call upon the expertise of any
WCED official in the execution of its mandate.
MEC Dugmore has made it clear that the investigation will be transparent and
open, and that there will be no victimisation. The investigation is to be
conducted in the spirit of promoting reconciliation and appreciation of
diversity, within the confines of the law and the Constitution of the
country.
The Task Team may call on other bodies to assist the process e.g. South
African Police Service, Human Rights Commission etc. The media will be excluded
in the process, except in the case of public hearings.
The process will commence as soon as possible, and reassessment of relevant
teacher and learner portfolios must be completed within two weeks. The entire
process is to be completed by no later than the end of March 2007, subject to
the fact that the MEC and the Task Team have satisfied themselves that it has
fulfilled its mandate sufficiently.
Enquiries:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
Cell: 082 550 3938
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
8 March 2007
