No plans for more schools in Polokwane, says Education Department
In 2015, the Department of Education announced (again) that construction of a planned school in Bendor would begin in 2016, but four years later, nothing has been done.
POLOKWANE – There was a significant growth in the number of residents in the city during the last couple of years, but infrastructure like schools did not keep up with this growth. Instead, schools have been forced to increase their intake and increase the learner/teacher ratio.
Read more: Bendor High School is in the making
In 1996 the population was 424 835, in 2001 the population according to Stats SA was 508 277, in 2007 it increased to 561 772, the 2011 cencus count was 628 999, and in 2016, 702 190. The average growth of the Polokwane population since 2007 was 2,8% per year.
In 2017 the Spokesperson for Education, Sam Makondo, said plans were in the pipeline and construction was planned for 2019 but says the department had to contend with competing needs of infrastructure across the province such as storm damaged schools, water and sanitation and maintenance of existing infrastructure.
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“All depends on resources and for now we have to look what can be done to assist the learners with the means we have available,” he then said.
Makondo added that the building of more schools in Polokwane is dependent on resources and there are no plans for the immediate future to build any schools. These still were the words of Makondo when asked about the promised school in Bendor that was to have been built many years ago.
Polokwane schools were again inundated with requests for admission during the period set aside for this purpose last year, with many coming from learners again applying from outside the feeder area of the schools. The beginning of the school year saw many learners still without placements, but Makondo said these were mostly learners who applied late or moved to Polokwane from other areas.
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He said all secondary learners were placed and only around 200 primary school learners remained to be placed. The Department of Education officially opened its admissions for learners in public schools for this academic year in April last year, with time until 31 May for applications to be handed in at schools.
Makondo at the time said it is the responsibility of the department, parents, guardians and caregivers, to ensure every child of school-going age is in school on the first day of the 2019 school year, and he urged those responsible to apply for admission as per the stipulated dates and not wait until the last minute.
He emphasised that the registration period would enable the department to plan properly as to what resources should be put in place for the smooth start of the 2019 academic year. Parents were to be informed by the end of June 2018 whether their children have been admitted or not.
Documents required to register a child include a birth certificate or acceptable proof of birth and an immunisation card, but last week, hundreds of parents queued at the Department of Home Affairs and were told to return this week only, as there are hundreds of applications for birth certificates and IDs pending.
By late last year, Makondo said all public schools in Polokwane have admitted learners to full capacity for the 2018 academic year and added that all schools tried to admit most of the learners meeting the admission criteria. Waiting lists were submitted to the circuit offices for placement.
Makondo on Tuesday said the department will explore where it is possible to increase learner carrying capacity in existing primary schools to accommodate learners not admitted or placed on a waiting list.
