By all indications it seems Dayspring Study Centre’s days are numbered as Sue Parry, the owner and principal, went against the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) orders to close her institution’s doors for good. She reopened it on 13 January.
After receiving two conflicting reports as to whether the centre was open or not, the Record contacted the GDE to get a definitive answer.
Dayspring: School’s out forever?
In a media statement Oupa Bodibe, acting spokesperson for the GDE, issued a stern warning saying “the department would like to warn members of the Roodepoort community that Dayspring Study Centre is an illegally operating school and that learners at the school cannot write any recognised examinations that will result in them being resulted and certificated [sic].
GDE requirements to open an independent school
“All schools must be registered for accreditation by Umalusi or any other examining body, which must be accredited by Umalusi and Dayspring Study Centre is not registered with any examining body. The school is following the Cambridge curriculum, but is not registered with Mark Barber who represents Cambridge in the sub-Saharan Africa.”
Parry disputed the claim that the exams her pupils write are not recognised and explained Dayspring Study Centre’s position. “Cambridge is a recognised exam board in SA. The qualifications pupils receive through Cambridge are considered international qualifications and must be converted to an Umaluzi equivalent. Saqa is a body that converts international certificates to an Umaluzi certificate.
“However, it is incorrect to say that pupils at Dayspring cannot write recognised examinations. It is so that they may not write these exams on Dayspring’s premises, as it is not a registered exam centre. Dayspring prepares pupils to write the Cambridge exams but does not conduct them,” Parry said.
On the subject of being registered as a study centre with the GDE, Parry admitted she is not registered due to the fact that the City’s Town Planning Department has not issued her with site-use consent. “To be registered with the GDE, consent use in respect of the premises from which Dayspring conducts business is required. This is all that is outstanding,” said Parry.
School did not do their homework
But the Record is also in possession of an official City of Johannesburg (CoJ) document dated 14 December that deals with the issue of consent. In paragraph two it says “notwithstanding the provisions of any other legislation, the City of Johannesburg refuses [sic] consent, in terms of clause 12.1.3 of the Roodepoort Town Planning Scheme, for the establishment of a place of instruction (study centre/ private school) on erf 77 Constantia Kloof”.
The centre has been granted leave to appeal until 25 January. After Parry claimed telephonically that she had appealed, the Record once again contacted the GDE and received the following response: “The department conducted an investigation in 2015 in which it was discovered that the school is operating illegally in a residential house and did not have compliance documents from the local municipality,” said Bodibe.
According to ward councillor Carl Mann, he had told Parry from the onset that she could not open the centre because of objections from residents. In an effort to salvage the situation he organised a meeting between Parry and the disgruntled residents late last year but according to Mann, Parry text-messaged the residents the night before saying the meeting was postponed, which was false. Mann said he tried to convene a second meeting but the residents told him that after being deceived the first time they were not interested anymore.
“I want to state categorically that I am not in the business of closing down educational institutions, but the correct procedures must be followed,” said Mann.
In all three the Department’s responses they stated they “will continue to pursue efforts to ensure that the school is closed”.
Detention for school’s neighbours?
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Also read: School receive support from community
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