An illegal school that opened in a house in Mulder Street on 6 August has the neighbourhood up in arms.
Dayspring Study Centre , however, will have to register this school correctly and follow the letter of the law before its 106 pupils and 18 teachers will be allowed back.
A campaign to have the school moved is spearheaded by Deon Esterhuizen who lives next door and who has been living at this address for the past twelve years. According to Esterhuizen he does not have a problem with the school or its owner Sue Parry, but rather with the choice of location and the way the school was established in the neighbourhood.
“The children are noisy and have a vantage point from where they constantly look into my yard. This is an infringement of my privacy. Some of the neighbours also have complained that the children throw stones on the roofs of the houses lower down in the valley,” says Esterhuizen.
He also complains about the traffic and parking problems it causes for residents in the mornings and afternoons. According to Esterhuizen the Department of Health also issued a notice to the school to get a health certificate for the kitchen.
When Esterhuizen started digging he uncovered a number of alleged irregularities.
“A day before the school opened I phoned the building inspector and found out that other complaints also have been lodged. A day after the school opened he served a notice on the school for building without plans or approval. He also informed me that no application for consent for land use has been submitted,” says Esterhuizen.
The manager of Land Usage Management, Owen Mda confirmed that no consent was given to use the property for educational purposes and this constitutes illegal land use. The next step according to Mda would be to give instruction to the Council’s lawyers should the school not stop operating.
By 14 August Esterhuizen had a petition with 50 signatures. He also contacted the Department of Education, the ward councillor and the town planners who supposedly were handling the school’s consent application.
The town planner admitted to the record that although he had a query from the school the application has not been submitted yet since they are awaiting a traffic impact assessment. The Gauteng Department of Education also could not find the school on their list of registered schools and says if the school has applied they are not allowed to operate until registration has been approved.
By September Esterhuizen was so desperate that he raised his boundary wall – but that did not alleviate the noise levels. Esterhuizen recently took video footage of kids on the school roof screaming and shouting at 5.30am, allegedly after a matric farewell function. (Parry admitted that for their safety she allowed children to sleep over at the school after the function.)
When the record spoke to Parry it was clear that she is passionate about education and the pupils in her school. She argues that she would have had to close the school if she had to wait for consent from the council and for the registration with the Education Department. (Esterhuizen does not agree with this, saying Parry already had put in an offer to purchase on 26 February, which would have given her six months to follow the right procedures.)
As far as allegations that she did not give legal notice to the residents by posting notices outside the property as well as advertising in a local newspaper for two consecutive weeks before opening her doors, Parry admits to this. She says though she “assumed that the neighbours would not have a problem” since at her previous location she never had complaints.
She also argues that she thought she could continue operating since she started the due process but admits that she should have done her homework more thoroughly.
Esterhuizen responded to all this by saying that “no matter how noble the cause, a bad example would be set whereby anyone could do as they please and get permission later on. You can not cite ignorance or assumption as an excuse for not adhering to laws and regulations. The community’s wants and needs are just as important as her school’s.”
My son attends this school and we has parents will assist Sue Parry on any help she may require in assisting in speeding up the process. Deon must also realise that there are children in that environment and when he approaches the teachers, do it respectfully.
My daughter attends this school. With great advantage since she got there with amazing results to her education. There are no proper English high schools in the area. As we did try one of the schools, wich was a horrible disaster, Where she was for 4months. We then started to look for another school for her. Where we were turned away by several schools, I then found Dayspring, and are amazed about the care and acceptence for every child as an individual. He should be happy that he does not have drunk parties going on next door every weekend.!! But an AMAZING lady such as Sue Parry that is providing another safe school environment for our kids! He could have had much worse noise levels to deal with! We as parents will help and stand by Sue Parry.
I find this article rather bias since it is one sided and the Head Mistress was not afforded the opportunity to present her relevant documentation to the reporter before this article was published.
I would like to, as a parent whom has a child attending Dayspring Study Centre, bring to the attention of the readers and the “concerned” neighbours- Deon is complaining about the noise levels of the children when he himself is continuously disrupting classes by parking his vehicle next to the boundary wall, revving his engine and blowing his hooter for extended periods of time, which is, in my books, childish. The alleged noise created by the students is only from 7am to 3pm which is the normal time for a child at a Study Centre or private residence to make a noise, the noise that Deon complains of does not affect his evenings or sleeping times.
As for the assumed traffic increase, I would like to make it clear that even though the school is a convenient thing to blame it is not the cause- drivers have found an alternative route to Ontdekkers Road which bypasses the traffic on Wilgerood and Christiaan De Wet Roads.
As for the complaint by Deon concerning parking in front of his property, which is paved from his boundary wall to the tar. There is no damage being done to any landscaping as there is none and no harm is being inflicted by parking there for ten minutes to pick up a child.
I, as a parent, am very grateful for the fact that the Head Mistress offered sleeping facilities after the Matric Farewell at the Study Center to avoid having drunken students on the roads and possible loss of lives. The little bit of noise that was made can surely be tolerated when weighing up the pro’s and con’s.
I also find it very difficult to believe that children, without bionic arms, can stand on the roof of the Study Centre and throw rocks onto the property of houses behind the large open stretch of land.
I understand that the required documentation was not done 100% correctly, but don’t we all learn through trail and error?
Lastly, I personally feel that the Dayspring Study Centre should remain where it is and open as these allegations could lead to the closing of a Study Center of a very high standard. Education, in this country, is important for all of our children.
I will support Dayspring Study Center and Sue Parry to the best of my capabilities.
Thank you Lynn for putting what I was trying to say but failed to do so much more eloquently than I could possible.
On the point of privacy that Deon raised my mother lived directly opposite him for a number of year and since she stayed on the second store of the flats (three storey block) I could look directly into his yard at any time so this point is nil and void since those flats have been there for ever.
Dayspring is an amazing school is doing amazing work with the kids and I would like to thank Sue Parry and all the other teachers for all their hard work.
Why did Mr Esterhuisen have his say but Dayspring was not awarded an opportunity to present their documentation etc? This is a pretty bias article. Mr Esterhuizen should find something better to do with his time. Does he believe because he was there longer that he owns all the land surrounding as well? He talks about his privacy being compromised but he is taking pictures and videos of children! Who’s breaking the law now? He talks about the traffic problems caused by Dayspring but did not mention how he has blocked parking with cement balls SPITEFULLY and causing the ONLY traffic problem himself. The first few meters don’t belong to Mr Esterhuizen, it’s Municipal property! Making up stories about noisy kids and stone throwing is a pretty low ditch effort to state his case. Raising his wall a few inches to reduce noise, really? How high should Dayspring raise the wall to prevent his childish behaviour of revving his car that is done to interrupt innocent children trying to study? Maybe somebody should remind Mr Esterhuisen that this is the New South Africa and it wouldn’t hurt to allow Dayspring to make it a better place..
DAYSPRING IS AN AMAZING SCHOOL!!! They deserve to be open and stay open. The amount of hard work, determination and sheer commitment that Mrs parry and her staff give to those kids is outstanding. Keep up the good work. You all have our hundred percent backing and we as parents will do everything in our power to help you. In my opinion Mr Estherhuisen is being completely unfair and has made a huge commotion about nothing. No wrong has been done by the school, teachers, owner or children attending Dayspring. He simply has too much time on his hands and should expel his time and energy into something more useful like perhaps pottery or something like that. Thank you to Mrs Parry and her staff for running such a fine establishment which we as parents are extremely proud of and honoured that our kids are in such good capable hands
Dayspring is a wonderful school. I had diffiuctly finding a high school for my daughter, and the only one in our feeding area is scary to say the least. My daughter has never been happier, and her marks show how wonderful the school, teachers and Sue are! Deon, you are doing damage, not good!! We are 110% behind Sue and Dayspring.
It is very interesting to me that Deon Esterhuizen has complained about HIS privacy being invaded. Since the school has moved there my under aged children have been photographed on more than one occasion by both Deon Esterhuizen and Riaan Van Zyl. May I remind you that it is illegal, not to mention creepy, to have grown men photographing school children! It has also been amusing to see the neighbour perched on his roof watching the children. I have heard him using foul language, screaming at a child and Sue Parry . Ms Parry has never used four letter words while speaking to him. Dayspring is a fantastic school. My son is currently writing his external Cambridge exams..not bad for a so called illegal school. Cambridge seems to recognize Dayspring as an acceptable learning facility. Deon Esterhuizen maybe ignorant but Riaan Van Zyl should know better. Check your facts! A proper journalist is supposed to do that.
I cannot believe that the Roodepoort record would allow such shoddy journalism and one sided reporting. Are you really interested in publishing the truth ? Why were the teachers and parents not interviewed ? I chose Dayspring to educate my kids because of the quality of education and discipline and wisdom in dealing with the children. Dayspring learners write legitimate Cambridge exams in recognized exam centers. With so much flux in our education system I appreciate the initiative and fresh approach Dayspring offers. I find it really hard to understand that Deon Esterhuizen would have such a personal vendetta against a school that actually provides a solution to education in our country. I am saddened by the lack of insight and concern over the larger issues. I am also very perplexed by Deons behavior . He has taken pictures of underage children, purposefully parked his vehicles on the other side of the road to obstruct parents from collecting their children and been found to purposefully rev his vehicles to create noise and disturb the children’s learning. Come on , this behavior is petty and with a little insight we could all work together to find solutions to the real issues.
Dear Riaan
I see the caption of your article is:”School did not do it’s homework”. Sir, it appears that you have not done your homework either, before publishing this article.
Why have you not responded to an invitation from Ms Parry, to view all the relevant documentation that the school has, as proof that they have “done their homework”. Mr Esterhuizen has had a personal issue with the school and has been extremely rude to Ms Parry on various occasions.
If you are going to write an investigative article about something, please “do you homework”, instead of publishing a one sided and almost malicious article. you should be reprimanded by the editor for such bad reporting.
Regards
Saretha Sandham
When I saw this article, I was furious.. such one-sided reporting. But, when I saw all these wonderful comments, I now feel better. Dayspring is a great school, well respected and so is Sue Parry!
I have the privilege of being a teacher at Dayspring Study Centre. It is truly a wonderful school. Each student and each staff member is treated with love and respect. The students have re-paid our efforts with them, by being more mature than Deon. They have not responding to his provocative behaviour. I am so proud to be a part of the school. I am deeply disappointed by the level of reporting from Roodepoort Record. The article is one sided and the facts have been conveniently twisted to suit the article. Does the Roodepoort Record need to stoop to personal vendettas of individuals to get their front page stories?
My daughter was mentally, verbally and emotionally abused by die principal of her previous school. To find schools that can work with children and build them up is very hard. I would like to say that Sue Parry has build my daughter up in the last 10 months and assisted her in every way possible, you just don’t get that anymore! Dayspring didn’t have any problems at there previous residence so why is this such a huge issue know?? Mr Esterhuizen you are petty the least and obviously have a lot of time on your hands. What did the school actually do that you have got such a vendetta against it? do tell? The fact that you are taking pictures of our children that freaks me out quiet a bit and against the law!! Dayspring is a wonderful school and education is of high standards and that is lacking in our other schools.
As a past student and current staff member of Dayspring, I can say with all certainty that Sue Parry is a gift, not only to education in South Africa, but to the students of Dayspring and their families.
Due to medical reasons, I was unable to attend school and when I was finally ready to go back at the age of 21, I was turned away by numerous other schools because I was over the age of 19. Then, I had the good fortune of meeting Ms. Parry. She welcomed me into the ‘Dayspring Family’ with open arms and gave me the opportunity to complete my matric, which I could not have done without her and her dedicated team of educators. She is a warm and loving person with her students’ best interests at heart.
I wish Riaan van Zyl had done his work properly, for then he would have found that Mr. Esterhuizen’s complaints have no basis and therefore, no article would have been published. In future, I suggest that the editor of the Roodepoort Record check the facts of their so-called Journalists and prevent the reputations of their employees being called into question.
I am not affiliated to anyone – not the journalist, neighbour or school.
I find the comments somewhat hypocritical – the journalist is accused of bias, but most people commenting are invested in the school.
The point was that Sue didn’t follow due process; not whether or not she is passionate or how good the school is.
I feel for the neighbours, and I would most likely have had the same reaction. Also, with the number of fly-by-nigh schools that pop up, should we not be grateful that there is a system in place to check on schools?
I am interested to see how this pans out.
Wow, the journalist definitely won’t get a laureate award for this literary effort, or lack thereof.
I urge the editor to intervene and engage with Sue Parry, view her certificates and publish a retraction regarding this article.
I believe that the jurno should be called into a disciplinary hearing for poor work performance.
However, let’s get real, this won’t happen – So let’s start all over with a fresh title:
THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES
The school does not need to register with the GDE as it is not offering GDE curriculum. It is offering a study environment for those writing Cambridge.
Yes Cambridge – that place in England with an awesome university – renown for centuries as a global leader in education excellence.
So what? There is a hick up and delay with City Council, all of the other registration certificates are in place, yes – even a traffic impact assessment certificate.
Does Deon have the following certificates:
1) Business license for the car repair yard which is alleged to be in operation on his premises.
2) CIPRO registration for his alleged business… etc…etc?
3) His house seems to also be dramatically modified, does he have building plans approvals?
4) Border line relaxation to (1) pave the municipal verge outside his wall, (2) permission to cordon off the verge with concrete spheres.
How disturbing? Allegedly taking photos of children ???? — HELLO???? STALKING???? Let’s see this story within a story pan out!
Creating traffic issues which could lead to a child being knocked down in the road; revving a car engine, hooting during the day? Ag Please!!
FYI – where are schools located? Duh — In suburbs! Children noises during school hours can hardly be called disturbing the peace.
If he is worried about privacy – how high would his wall have to be to block out the potential viewers from the upper floors of the block of flats?
The root question is: — Does Deon have an issue with the school… or just children in general?
Sue Parry and your team – you all rock! You have literally saved my son’s life after the torment endured in mainline schools.
Dear Margaret. I would too be worried about a ” fly by night school” and would certainly NOT enroll my children Iin such a school. Dayspring has been around for YEARS.
In response to Margaret: The reason the reporter was accused of being biased by so many was because he chose to print only half of the truth. He was presented with all the documentation by the school but chose to ignore it. He was invited to an interview with Mrs Parry but chose not to attend. He chose to highlight certain comments from Mrs Parry but didn’t represent the whole picture. Presenting partial truths is deceptive. People deserve to be given all the facts before they are able to make an informed opinion about the school.
Hi there. First off I would like to say that I am very impressed with all the positive responses.
I would like to specifically respond to Margaret’s comment. Yes, it is people who are associated with the school that are especially responding to this article. It is the parents of children who are attending the school and the teachers who work at the school whose livelihoods are being jeopardised by a biased article such as this. Also, the principal of the school, Sue Parry, has been keeping the parents and staff members up to date with the situation regarding the neighbour Deon, as well as the process that the school is going through to get council permission. This means that they are especially aware of the biased point of view represented by this article. Sue has also kindly asked that the teachers, parents and students do not respond in any way to Deon’s childish antics. I am proud to say that the students especially have remained polite and continued to greet Deon with respect. The other neighbours have taken any of their complaints to Sue Parry directly and she has dealt with them appropriately, and none of them have expressed a desire to have the school removed, only that the school keep them informed of going ons and that the school have all necessary paper work. The noise levels are generally not as great as has been implied and continue only from 8am to 3pm, and if noise levels are predicted to be worse than normal or outside of that time all the neighbours are warned beforehand, for example on the day of the fun day and the night the matrics slept over at the school. I hope this clears a few things up for everyone.
As far as the paperwork is concerned, everything is currently in process and will be sorted out in due course. It does appear that Deon himself has some work to do before he points fingers at other people. I hope that the reporter of this article will take a second look at this story.
Dayspring should continue to operate and continue with the good work they have been doing all these years. I had 2 kids at Dayspring and I truly do not have one complaint, but only compliments. Ms Parry and her Educators are doing a phenomenal job of teaching our kids and preparing them for a better tomorrow when they have to step out into the real world- to study for further Education, finding a Job, etc. I cannot even imagine what negative impact it will have on our Society should Dayspring close down. Ms Parry and her team are doing a remarkable job and I am grateful that I found Dayspring a few years ago.
Margaret… I am not sure why you are fighting against education. Yes, you say most of the people commenting are invested in the school… HELLO<<<< but of cause – we can only comment because we have seen the results of the positive impact Dayspring is having on our kids. So I will be worried if people comment and they have not experienced DAYSPRING. And I guess you are the spokesperson for the neighbors right… funny that Ms Parry have diligently been in contact with the neighbors and seem that only one neighbor have a problem with kids and we all know who that is… Margaret – stop fighting Education, fight Crime…