Gauteng schools ready for 2014

Gauteng schools are ready for 2014, with learning and teaching set to get off to a flying start on January 15th said Education MEC Barbara Creecy.

Preparations for the coming academic year started in April this year, when the Gauteng Department of Education brought its admissions process forward to make sure that every school and every pupil in the province had sufficient time to avoid any last minute rush for enrolments.

“Starting with the admissions process early helps the department plan better for infrastructure, learner and teacher support materials, teacher recruitment, nutrition, scholar transport and other support programmes,” Creecy said.

The education department has received 131 000 applications for Grade 1 and 114 546 applications for Grade 8 for the new year. The majority have already been placed in schools, among them the 24 new schools the department takes into service in January 2014.

A further four schools will be opened next April, bringing the total number of new learning facilities in Gauteng for next year to 28.

As part of the department’s annual schools readiness campaign, department officials have visited schools across the province to check on preparations for 2014 to ensure that teaching and learning can get underway without major challenges on the first day of the academic year. During the campaign, more than 2 000 schools were visited by district officials and senior departmental managers.

“With 28 new schools coming into service in 2014 and our inspections showing that schools are well prepared, we go into the new year ready to ensure that teaching and learning can take place across the province from day one of the new academic year,” said Creecy.