A damning indictment of township schools

This week, one of our columnists, Mojalefa Mashego, was reminiscing wistfully about his old primary school in Soweto, which has closed down … because there are not enough pupils.

Has one of the most populous areas in SA suddenly seen its children disappear? No. The reality is that many parents are joining the groundswell movement to send kids to the former model C schools in the suburbs. Parents we interviewed cited the lack of resources – especially for extra-curricular activities – crime and lack of professional commitment by teachers in township schools as among the main reasons for the swing to suburban schools.

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Parents who opt for this are, generally speaking, imposing a significant financial burden on themselves – some former model C schools do subsidise fees for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, but transport costs can often be crippling for a lower-income family.

The fact that this is happening is a damning indictment on how the former township education system has been allowed to slide downhill by our provincial and national education authorities.

There is also the worry that, in the end, overcrowding will impact the quality of the schooling offered by the former model C institutions. This reality can no longer be ignored by the government.