Report of the Select Committee on Education and
Recreation on the oversight visit to
1. Introduction
The Select Committee on Education and
Recreation undertook an oversight visit to
1.1 Delegation
The committee consisted of a multiparty
delegation led by the Chairperson, Ms M W Makgate
(ANC -
The
following persons were present:
Ms N
May, Principal: Nondzame
Primary School;, Ms N Mthwa, Educator: Nondzame Primary School; Ms V Kasibe,
Educator: Nondzame Primary School; Mr B Phekula, Educator: Nondzame
Primary School; Ms N Ngcikwe, Educator: Nondzame Primary School; Ms N Malangeni,
School Clerk: Nondzame Primary School; Mr A Ndlazi, Chairperson: School Governing Body (SGB); Ms N Lufele, SGB member; Ms N Mzimba,
SGB member; Mr E Tshitshiba, SGB member; Ms C Gcasamba, Parliamentary Officer Office of the Director
General for Basic Education, Mr M Dlanga, Committee Secretary,
Mr K Gorata, Language Practitioner, Mr E Lourens, Committee Assistant.
2. Activities and Proceedings
The
Committee interacted with the school governing body (SGB), as well as educators
and was briefed on the challenges facing the school ever since there was talk
of a possible merger of the school. The main issues of the meeting were the
challenges on how to proceed with the proposed merger and terms and conditions
in the event that such a merger did take place. Relocation of the school from Groot Drankenstein to Stellenbosch was also another bone of contention. It
transpired during the meeting that the Provincial Department of Education has
been offered a piece of land to where the school could be relocated, but due to
a misunderstanding between the officials representing the department and the
SGB of the school that plan did not materialise. The oversight visit to the
school provided the delegation with an in-depth understanding of the situation
at
3. Findings
The
following formed part of the key findings:
§
The school is situated on privately-owned
land and is the only school in the area using isiXhosa
as a medium of instruction.
§
After a visit by the MEC for Education, a
proposal to merge the school with another school offering Afrikaans as a medium
of instruction was made.
§
It appears that there were no clear terms
and conditions for the proposed merger, which has led to the conflict.
§
The Provincial Department of Education did
not handle the matter with the sensitivity that it deserved.
§
The possible closure and merger of the
school has led to the school losing a number of teachers due to uncertainty
about the future of the school.
§
The department has been keeping the school
in the dark about the processes involved with the proposed merger.
§
Communication
channels between the SGB and the department is almost non-existent, as most of
the time the department has been giving instructions to the school.
·
The provincial
department has at one stage unilaterally appointed a person who referred to
himself as a doctor to make an assessment and report back to the provincial
department. The doctor reported that for environmental reasons it is not
advisable for the school to remain in Groot Drankestein.
·
The report by the
doctor that the environment in the area was not conducive for human beings and
students was disputed by the school management and governing body.
·
The name of the
doctor sent to do the assessment is not known to the school.
·
The school together
with the governing body is not opposed to the idea of a proposed merger or
relocation.
·
The general view is
that before the school can consider the proposed merger and possible
relocation, terms and conditions need to be clarified.
·
Some learners are
using bicycles donated to the school as a mode of transport to and from school.
·
The school is far
from the residential area, and this is one of the reasons why the school is not
opposed to the idea of relocating to a place closer to the community.
·
The councilor could
have a played a major role in this regard, but failed to do so.
·
The relations between
the councilor and the school are almost non-existent as he is alleged to have
failed to act and intervene where his intervention was most needed.
·
The regional director
did not assist the school to address the issue of the possible relocation and
merger.
4. Departmental representative Mr Samaal, Circuit Manager
The
circuit manager arrived late for the meeting as he was visiting a neighbouring
school at the time. Mr Samaal could not respond to
any of the questions posed by the delegation since he was not briefed. He
reported that he was not directly involved in the matter and was not in a
position to respond.
5. Challenges
The following formed part of the key
challenges that were highlighted:
§
Lack of library facilities, computers and
sports grounds.
§
Limited number of classrooms resulting in
overcrowding.
§
Lack of security which leads to vandalism.
§
Insufficient number of teachers which leads
to some teachers teaching more than one learning area.
§
Insufficient school furniture.
§
Teachers leaving the school for greener
pastures. This was also triggered by the possibility of the merger and
relocation of the school to Pniel.
§
Learners walk long distances to and from
school as the school does not benefit from the scholar transport grant. Some
learners only reach the school by midday due to long distances they have to
walk.
§
Parents are unemployed and it becomes
difficult to pay for learners to get to school. This leads to late learners
arriving late for school.
6. Conclusion
The
visit has provided the Committee with a general overview of the challenges
faced by the school. The visit also provided the Committee with clear evidence
of the situation and the manner in which this whole issue was handled. In
essence, the school is faced with a common challenge of poor quality of
physical infrastructure and a general lack of resources.
The
Committee resolved that the Department of Education in the Province would be
summoned to appear before the Select Committee to explain the status of the
7. Recommendations
The
Committee recommends that:
§
The Provincial Department of Education
should clarify the terms and conditions of the merger and proposed relocation.
§
The Provincial Department of Education
should ensure that in the event that the two schools are merged, the legacy of
the two schools is not compromised.
§
The School Governing Body as well as the
management of the school must not be excluded from taking part in the above
process.
§
The challenge at Nondzame
Primary is very sensitive and the department has a moral obligation to treat
this matter with the urgency it deserves.
§
Mechanisms should be developed to improve
relations between the school governing body and the councillor of the area.
§
The Department and the school must find an
amicable solution without compromising the learner’s constitutional right to
education.
§
Communication channels between the
department and the school should be improved.
§
Communities must begin to treat the school
as community centres; they should feel that they own the school, and this will
also ensure that no vandalism takes place in the school.
§
The merger should be done in a way that
does not lead to the learners being deprived of their constitutional right of
being taught in the language of their choice.
§
The Department of Education both at
district and provincial level must explore ways of developing retention
strategies to prevent poaching of teachers by urban schools.
§
The Department of Education must ensure
that Nondazme Primary has a proper infrastructure
such as sport facilities, libraries and computer laboratories.
§
The Department of Education should ensure
that scholar transport is provided as a matter of priority.
§
The Provincial Department must ensure that
security is provided to the schools as a matter of urgency.
§
The Provincial Department of Education must
ensure that the school is fenced to prevent vandalism.
§
That the matter of
§
The regional and provincial Department of
Education must develop mechanisms to provide incentives for teachers in the
rural and farm schools such as Nondzame.
Report
to be considered