On January 17, schools all over were set to start the new year. However for some learners, this was not the case, they still had to find a school they would be able to attend as they did not get placed in the school nearest their residence, but rather a school further away, without the means to get there.
Selby Leshaba, a Fleurhof resident, explained the area does not have a school even though there are over 40 000 residents and therefore they applied to have their children placed in Florida Park High School, which is walking distance from them.
He added parents do not have the necessary finances for transport to take the children to schools such as Hoërskool Die Burger and RW Fick Secondary School, where they did get placement. He continued to describe an instance where a child was repeatedly raped while walking home, still in her school clothes. He added she later committed suicide. He questioned whether the Department of Education is waiting for more incidents such as this to happen to children before something will be done to give children safer access to school.
“We want our children to get educated. If the department starts building the school now, it will be finished by next year and our children can attend school,” said Leshaba.
He continued to say Florida Park High School has the means to accommodate their children, which include 25 Grade Eight learners and seven learners from both Grade Nine and 10.
Leshaba continued: “The only thing that we need is just for the principal to allow the children into the school and if they don’t allow the children in today, we are going to make sure that we then force ourselves into the school because these children cannot go back home without going to school. It is their right to be educated and that right needs to be respected. We can’t allow our children to go far away where we can’t get them there and then we are sitting with a problem that we are not going to find a solution to. The Department of Education has the funds and the means to build extra infrastructure.”
The Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson, Steve Mabona, stated, “We are aware of parents from Fleurhof who visited the Joburg West District office on January 18. They were offered a placement at Robin Hood but are refusing the offer. Unfortunately, Florida Park is full.”
Leshaba concluded by saying they had a meeting at the district office at 8:00 on January 18.
“They are offering us a school in Soweto which they just started and I can tell you now it is not worth it. The parents are still sticking to their guns to say they have to accept their children at Florida Park High School … but the Department of Education is dealing with the matter, we will find out how they will do this.”
These are however not the only children struggling to start their school year. While visiting numerous schools, the Roodepoort Record noticed how many parents were still registering children the day before school started. This leads one to wonder what the solutions will be to the numerous reports of the placement system not running as smoothly as anticipated.
More questions on the matter have been sent to Mabona and an update will follow as soon as a reply has been received.
