Cape Town - It’s all systems go for the start of the Western Cape’s 2015 school year, the provincial Education Department says.
While teachers unions agreed, they appealed for the public to donate stationery and shoes for pupils in need.
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said four new schools will open on Wednesday - Bottelary Primary in Stellenbosch, Protea High in Brackenfell, Itsitsa Primary in Mfuleni and Wellington Primary in Wellington.
This year, 109 000 Grade 1 pupils are expected to begin their first year of school and 34 535 pupils are expected to begin Grade R. There are 26 schools in the province that will receive new Grade R classrooms this year.
Schäfer said most of the school textbooks ordered last year were delivered before year-end.
“Outstanding textbooks will be delivered from Monday onwards, when schools open. Top-up orders will be placed for unexpected growth,” Schäfer said.
She said there were 676 new posts as the department was able to increase the number of teacher posts to 32 003 this year
. Timetables were also in place by the time schools closed last year.
SA Democratic Teachers Union provincial chairman Jonovan Rustin said: “We have asked the department to monitor areas of high saturation like Mitchells Plain, Strand and Grabouw, that all pupils have been accommodated to start school on Wednesday. We don’t want any hiccups.”
National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa provincial chairman Moses Standaar confirmed that ”generally, everything seems to be going well”.
Cape Times