Jeremiah yearns to attend school

Jeremiah Padayachy (10) watches his siblings get ready to go to school every morning, while he stays at home trying to make the best of the educational books he has.

Rishika Singh sits with her son, Jeremiah Padayachy (10) who learns at home because he does not attend school.

Jeremiah lives with his parents, Stephen Padayachy and Rishika Singh, and siblings Annalee (15) and Joshua (8) Padayachy, in Flora Court, Actonville.

Jeremiah’s parents have been applying at primary schools for three years.

“We applied at Actonville Primary School and Benoni Primary School but he was not accepted,” Singh said.

“The reason is because he was born without a palate (the upper surface of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities), so Actonville Primary School said he needs to go to a special needs school.”

Ward 29’s Clr Imtiaz Loonat said Jeremiah was assessed and the conclusion was drawn based on the assessment.

“Actonville Primary School and the Department of Education (DOE) tested Jeremiah and concluded that he should go to a special school,” Loonat said.

The DOE referred Jeremiah to a special school in 2016, but he is currently still not attending a school.

“The child was assessed by our psychologists and was recommended for placement at Actonville Training Centre (ATC),” said acting spokesperson for the Gauteng DOE, Oupa Bodibe.

“This school caters for learners with special needs, not Actonville Primary School.”

Singh said she visited the training centre at the beginning of the year and they said they were full.

“ATC said they would notify us when there is space, but it has been several months and we have heard nothing from them,” she added.

But ATC claims they received no request from Singh about the placement of her son.

“The department has contacted the school and the school has confirmed that they have not received any application from the parent,” Bodibe said.

In the meantime, Jeremiah still stays at home and is taught by his aunt, Stephanie Padayachy.

“I work for Sayned’s Bookshop and my boss has been giving Jeremiah educational books for two years, which my sister-in-law uses to teach him,” Singh said.

“But he needs to go to school to get a proper education.”

Singh is pleading with Actonville Primary School to give Jeremiah a chance in a proper primary school and if, after a few months he battles to make progress, she will place him in a school which caters for children with special needs.

“Since 2013, I have been running back and forth between the schools and DOE just to place Jeremiah in a school,” Singh added.

However, the primary school has already indicated, based on the assessment, that Jeremiah needs to be placed in a special school and, because the centre is full, Jeremiah has spent another year at home, watching his siblings and friends leave the flat every morning to attend school.

The DOE disagrees with this situation.

“The department remains committed to complying with its constitutional obligation to place all learners of school going age who need space in public schools in Gauteng,” Bodibe said.

“The district has since scheduled a meeting with the mother to discuss the matter.”

The ATC referred the City Times to the DOE for comment.