‘Closed down’ Pretoria North school still operates
An anxious parent is questioning why the Gauteng Department of Education is not heeding their own notification of closure to a school that was already served in November 2023. The school is operating at present.
The Gauteng education department has confirmed that Mega Kids 24 Academy in Annlin is illegally operating as it is not on the database of registered independent schools.
Despite being ordered to close last year, the school continues to operate.
Mega Kids 24 Academy is an English private school for grades 1 to 7 in Sefako Makgathu Drive in Montana.
According to Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the department, the school is also not registered with the Department of Education.
The school was served with a letter of closure on November 14, 2023, and the department offered learners placement in public schools and registered independent schools in their respective areas. Despite this, the school welcomed learners back in January and it is business as usual.
A concerned parent, who wants to remain anonymous, took the school to the small claims court in Pretoria North on February 1 to recoup what she paid in school fees in 2023.
On 31 January 31, Dr Rhulani Mabaso, chief education specialist in the department, advised her that Mega Kids 24 Academy is not registered and was ordered to close in 2023. She concluded services were not delivered as per her contract with what she presumed was a registered school.
School principal Juanita Bosch, however, this week denied all allegations and said she will only comment once the court reaches a decision.
According to the parent, she became anxious when her research uncovered an anomaly in the school’s Educational Management Information Systems (Emis) accreditation number.
On average, this business charges over R3 000 a month per child.
“This is a massive outlay for any family expecting that their child is in a facility that is legally compliant,” said the parent. She said the financial impact of moving her child to another school during the year, was massive.
“Not to mention the stress and emotional impact on our family and the child.
The same fate potentially awaits other parents who will have just incurred these costs at the beginning of this school year, which could have been avoided had the school heeded or been made to heed the department’s instruction to close,” said the parent.
In court, Bosch maintained that they were in the process of applying for rezoning. The school is in a commercial area with mostly businesses like second-hand car dealers.
The school presented the magistrate with a document pack that reflected that it had applied to Tshwane to have the property it occupies, rezoned from commercial to school/place of instruction, in 2020. The magistrate established that this process had not been completed as yet.
Rekord asked for the school’s Emis number but it was not forthcoming.
Judgment was reserved for March 14.
Mabona said the department dispatched officials this week to investigate and then provide feedback in due course.
“As always, the department will ensure that the affected learners are placed respectively every time illegally operating schools are closed,” said Mabona on Wednesday, February 14.
Mabona said such schools make it difficult for the department to ensure quality education.
“It becomes difficult to place learners from these schools into proper schools as the quality of learning in illegally operating schools is very low,” said Mabona. He said only after thorough assessments can the department issue a school with an Emis certificate.
“If a school does not have an Emis certificate, which corresponds with its location, then parents must know that it is an illegally operating school,” he said.
If a school is in a house and does not have an Emis certificate that corresponds with the address where it is, then the school is also illegal.
Mabona advised parents and community members to demand a school furnish them with an Emis letter to ascertain it is legitimate before they enrol their children.
ALSO READ: Two suspects arrested in connection with murder of missing Pretoria east man
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
