School placement: Learners must be placed where they reside
Limpopo Education MEC Polly Boshielo says they will remove learners who reside outside Polokwane from the city's schools.
POLOKWANE – Limpopo Education MEC Polly Boshielo says she will not be held ransom regarding the placement of learners in city schools. This follows and incident where members of the EFF and parents of learners who had not been placed in schools met at the Pietersburg circuit offices on January 17 for an update on their admission status and walked across the road to the department’s offices when they hadn’t received the outcome they desired.
When they got to the department’s offices, they barricaded all the entrances demanding to be addressed by the MEC or HOD Onnica Dederen. Dorp Street between Excelsior and Hospital Streets was also blocked by disgruntled parents.
WATCH: Angry parents block off Biccard Street
For about four hours, Dederen addressed the crowd and a task team was formed consisting of departmental officials and affected parents.
Boshielo condemned the act by the EFF saying there are better ways to deal with matters than preventing movement from the departments offices. “I was held hostage in my own office and decided that I would not give in to their threats because I would be condoning the behaviour and sending out a message that makes it okay. There are channels for engagement and anyone is welcome to engage the department, whether it is parents or the EFF.”
She says that schools in Polokwane have surpassed its capacity based on the departmental norms and standards, with most schools currently on over 200 more learners than they are equipped to admit.
Boshielo says they have noted that an influx of applications come from parents living outside the city who enrol their children in schools in the city. “I will be engaging Polokwane Mayor John Mpe to allow us access to municipal records in order to confirm the authenticity of the documents that were submitted as part of the applications. The department will be going through each and every application and those found residing in other areas will be removed from our schools. Every day there are taxis and buses from as far as Seshego and Mankweng dropping of learners who have taken the space of learners who reside in the city.”
She says the department will not be building more schools in Polokwane when there are rural areas in other parts of the province that are in desperate need of infrastructure.
Also read: Education department to close four schools in Seshego
