The story about the Gurney family and their struggle to place their daughter in a school has apparently touched the hearts of many parents and teachers in the community.
The article appeared on the Fourways Review Facebook page and the comments were quite touching. They also showed that the Gurneys are not the only ones who have had problems with this.
The story that Belinda Rae told Fourways Review was frightening as even though it is almost the end of term one, her son has still not been placed in a school and she does not have the funds to put her son in a private school. Rae’s son Toby Brian Ncube is her permanent foster child and he is six-and-half years old. The boy has become severely depressed because he has to stay at home and cannot get the necessary interaction a young mind needs.
At the moment, Rae is forced to homeschool her child. She applied in June last year and has called authorities daily for updates, she has gone to the Department of Education (GDE) offices and to Sandown High School three times (where the department advised her to go to seek help) but has had no success. “They often don’t answer their phones,” said Rae.
“When I ask for a place, the GDE tells me there is no space. When I say it’s their responsibility to school my son, they say ‘yes we understand but there’s nothing we can do’.”
Read Not all pupils placed for grades 1 and 8
Ansie Veenstra, a qualified teacher who has been teaching for 37 years and is the head of department at Germiston South Primary School, shared her views about the damage that could be done. “Unfortunately, many parents do not have a choice in the matter, but if so, parents need to do the necessary research regarding what their child’s specific age development expects and needs.”
She explained that the problem with homeschooling was that parents were not necessarily trained in the specific field and did not give detailed attention where it was due. Secondly, in a case such as Toby’s, it affects the child’s socialising skills with other children and how to handle conflict in a natural environment.
“Things that we take for granted, for example how to hold a pen or how to pass a ball to a friend are things that children learn in their foundation school training. These are things the early foundation teachers are trained to focus on and trained to develop,” said Veenstra.
After a series of telephonic conversations and emails the Department of Education agreed to step in personally and to investigate this serious matter.
Oupa Bodibe, the Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson said, “We are currently investigating the matter and we will look for space for this specific individual.”
