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Mpumalanga province plans to close down and merge schools with low enrolment

By APO Group
24 August 2022   |   12:00 pm
Download logoThe Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has advised the Mpumalanga provincial Department of Education to ensure adequate public consultation when implementing the school rationalisation programme, an initiative that seeks to realign, merge or close down schools with low learner enrolment in the province. The committee heard from the department that the decision to close…

Republic of South Africa: The Parliament
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The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has advised the Mpumalanga provincial Department of Education to ensure adequate public consultation when implementing the school rationalisation programme, an initiative that seeks to realign, merge or close down schools with low learner enrolment in the province.

The committee heard from the department that the decision to close schools or merge them was being resisted by communities, especially where it involves schools named after community heroes.

Briefing the committee as part of the oversight programme in the province this week, the department said 71 schools have been identified for rationalisation (merge and closure) or realignment. A rationalisation and realignment committee has been established to lead the implementation of this programme.

The committee was told that the identified schools were non-viable, some with enrolment of less than 100 and some less than 50. There was also a report about a school with six learners in different grades and only one teacher.

The committee feels there needs to be proper consultation in implementing the school rationalisation programme. The provision of scholar transport for learners who will now have travel further to attend school because of this programme must also be considered.

Mpumalanga province is also facing an infrastructure backlog, which includes the need to build additional classrooms, replace old and unsafe school buildings and provide sanitation. An estimated budget of R40 billion is required to address the backlog.

Yesterday the committee visited schools in the Nkomazi Local Municipality and some of the issues, in addition to infrastructure challenges, were learners’ poor performance and the use of drugs at school. In one school, the principal told the committee that learners put marijuana in their food during lunch breaks.

Committee Chairperson Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba recommended that the department at provincial, district and circuit levels must visit the underperforming schools to help them come up with plans to improve learners’ performance.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

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