Hoërskool Rob Ferreira, the only government high school in town, is caught up in a dilemma due to the growing need for a second school in the area.
According to Jaco Bekker, the chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), the pressure from desperate parents is mounting. They demand that the school admit more learners than it can currently accommodate. “Rob has received close to 600 Grade Eight applications for 2024, but can only accommodate 185 learners. The school’s already overstretched capacity is set at 939 learners in total.
“The provision of schools, which is the government’s responsibility, now becomes the school’s problem. Desperate parents hold the SGB responsible for the fact that their children cannot be placed, and this leads to unnecessary tension in the community.”
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Bekker confirmed that the school’s admissions policy and determination of capacity are the legal responsibility of the SGB. “Decisions regarding this are not taken lightly,” he said, adding that many factors are considered, for instance, health and safety risks, budget challenges, the number of classrooms and ablution facilities.
According to Bekker, the SGB, in conjunction with X Factor Consultants, investigated the school’s capacity earlier this year. This was done to ensure that enrolled learners receive quality education in a safe and supportive environment.
“The investigation confirmed that there are no opportunities for further expansion on the school grounds, and that the existing infrastructure is already overstretched,” said Bekker. “Moreover, there are no SGB funds available to finance additional infrastructure.”
According to Gert Muller, the school’s financial manager, the SGB has created 20 additional posts. “School funds, which are scarce due to the current economic climate, finance these salaries,” he said.
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Rob has also subdivided bigger classrooms to increase teaching space.
“The only way to accommodate more learners is to build a second school.” This issue has been on the agenda for many years and, according to Bekker, the municipality has made land available to build a new school. No progress has been made to date. “The authorities are fully aware of the situation,” he confirmed. “Stakeholders have written numerous unanswered letters and attended many meetings to discuss the issue.” All to no avail. Every year, the dilemma increases as the population grows
Extensive residential development is anticipated in the region and yet, the only solution, which is the building of more schools, is ignored.
White River’s population is no longer 17 000, as per the 2011 census, and has grown exponentially because the significance of it as a residential hub increased in recent times. The government’s 2018 Economic Growth and Demographic Analysis Report goes as far as to project that the population has grown to twice this size.
This population explosion is problematic for many reasons, of which available schools are one of the biggest challenges.
One of the aforementioned stakeholders is the White River Ratepayers Association (WRRA). It recently submitted a letter to the Department of Education (DoE), demanding additional schools.
The spokesperson for the provincial DoE, Jasper Zwane, agreed upon Lowvelder’s media enquiry that White River is regarded as one of the fastest-growing towns in the City of Mbombela and is given due consideration by the department to increase capacity to accommodate all deserving learners.
“To this end, plans and discussions are ongoing to ensure that additional space is secured to build additional schools. The department continues to encourage parents to register their children in their areas of residence.
“This will help to grant priority to learners residing in White River,” he said. He denied receiving a letter from the WRRA, however. He said he would only comment about it once they have received it.
