Parents up in arms over school closure in Sheepmoor
The Department of Education closed Habile Primary School because the school did not have minimum number of 150 learners.
SHEEPMOOR – This community is demanding the reopening of Habile Primary School, which the Department of Education (DoE) closed in February.
The department said the school did not have the minimum of 150 learners needed for it to remain open. It relocated the learners to Hlalisani Primary School, 15km away.
Some of the parents are upset as they feel it is unsafe for their children to walk that distance, and there is a dangerous river they have to cross.
Nelson Khalishwayo, a school governing body member of the now closed Habile Primary, said the DoE’s actions were wrong, because the community was not informed of the school’s closure.
He said they were only informed by the learners on their last day there.
He said some of their children are no longer attending school since they have not registered at Hlalisani Primary.
Furthermore he said the parents had already bought Habile Primary School uniforms, and don’t have money to buy new ones.
Jasper Zwane, the DoE’s spokesperson, said the school was shut down because it only had 130 learners, which is below the department’s threshold of 150 learners for it to continue operating.
He said the school’s environment was unfavourable for learners, as they had poor quality education with just five teachers responsible for teaching grades R to seven.
He also said the school’s growth prospects were slim.
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