Appeals over school closures filed

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Western Cape Education MEC Donald Grant. Photo: Sam Clark

Cape Town - An appeal has been filed against the Western Cape education department over its withholding of information about planned school closures, a lobby group said on Tuesday.

The appeal was filed by the Equal Education Law Centre on behalf of Equal Education (EE).

“The department has failed to provide adequate reasons for withholding the information,” EE said.

EE started an online petition at www.change.org against a decision to close Zonnebloem Nest Senior School. The site contained a documentary about the school.

On 13 June, EE asked for the names of the schools the department was considering closing, matric pass rates for the relevant schools for 2010 and 2011, and a list naming all the under-performing schools in the province, with their pass rates for the past two years.

It asked for supporting documents reflecting the measures taken to support the 27 schools, and for copies of the letters sent by Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant informing schools that they might be closed.

Finally, EE also wanted documentation indicating the processes the department intended to follow in closing these schools.

Department spokesman Paddy Atwell said they could not provide all the information requested by EE, as the process was still underway.

“We would be happy to provide information that is already part of the public record, but we are not in a position to provide details, for example, on deliberations between the department and interested parties that are still underway,” he said.

The department had no problem with the appeal.

“We would be happy to consider providing relevant information to Equal Education at this stage, while not compromising the consultation process with (the) other interested parties.” - Sapa