Eerste River learners taught under tree, placed in schools

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) says it has placed half of the learners at a school after they had class in an open field in Forest Village, Eerste River, Cape Town.

In a statement, the WCED says it has been contacting parents over the past week to make offers of placement.

“The WCED has been contacting parents over the past week to make offers of placement. Half of the learners have already been placed at schools,” said Education MEC Debbie Schäfer.

‘’However, the department is still struggling to contact some of the parents of the remaining learners, who have provided incorrect contact numbers or whose phones go to voicemail. We urge the parents of those learners to contact their district to take up the placement offers,” she added.

The “makeshift school”, who they’ve even named – Empumelelweni Primary and High School – which consists of five classes and has 480 learners started operating on 16 February.

Schäfer said they are working hard to place the remaining learners in the province that are still not placed.

“Obviously, this remains a concern for us that they are still not in a school,” she stressed. 

According to the MEC, the number has reduced from 13 800 at the beginning of the year to 3 786 (as of Wednesday, 14 April 2021).

Schäfer said this is not due to a lack of planning or effort on the part of the WCED.

“We have warned for years of the pressure that we are under… We are nonetheless doing everything we can to try to accommodate the increase this year as best we can.”

 

Done By: Mitchum George