No plans for more public schools in Fourways
FOURWAYS - The population explosion in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs is not being matched by the number of schools, which has remained stagnant. This has left parents battling to find schools for their children.
The Gauteng Department of Education has admitted that the Fourways area is starved of public schools. In a written response to Fourways Review’s queries, the department’s spokesperson, Phumla Sekhonyane, cited land limitations as one of the reasons. She also ruled out any plans in the immediate future to roll out a school construction project in the area.
Sekhonyane added that affluent residents of Johannesburg North prefer to send their children to private schools. “However, it should be noted that these residential areas are regarded as middle- to upper-income residential developments. Most of the residents prefer to take their children to existing private schools rather than public schools. Land is scarce in these areas,” said Sekhonyane.
Her utterances followed after scores of Fourways residents registered their reservations to Fourways Review over the low number of schools in their neighbourhood.
However, Sekhonyane said residents of the north had a tendency to turn down government facilities which they regard as substandard. “The department planned to erect schools using Alternative Construction Technology in Woodmead and was rejected by the community, indicating that they will only accept brick and mortar,” she said.
Sekhonyane, however, said the department recently completed the construction of Northriding Secondary School with an enrolment capacity of 438 pupils. She added that there was also vacant land adjacent to Northriding Secondary School, which she said was being planned for a primary school.
Sunninghill was identified as a no man’s land for schools. The closest government school for Sunninghill residents is Rivonia Primary School. Residents want the department of education to start building a school whenever a complex or any residential development is approved.
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