Cape Town - Some of the 20 Western Cape schools facing closure are continuing to operate as normal although the provincial education ministry says it will continue to follow procedure on the closures.
Friday will be the last day of the academic year for Western Cape pupils and children at the 20 schools may have to leave their classrooms for the last time.
Eighteen of the 20 schools have however launched a court bid to stay open and according to the court papers intend to make their application in the Western Cape High Court on Friday.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) plans to close the schools on December 31.
Teachers at one of the schools, Protea Primary in Bonteheuwel, said they had not started packing up their classrooms and were not telling children to go to other schools.
“We are just remaining positive. We are just carrying on as normal,” said John Stoffels, a head of department at the school.
He said he couldn’t understand why the department was saying that the school was closing but the school had received textbooks for next year and had been asked to develop a school improvement plan for next year.
Teachers said the planned closure had left them feeling demoralised. They said they were hoping to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary in two years.
WCED spokesman Paddy Attwell said the matter was now before the High Court. “We would advise the principal not to pre-empt the court, and to plan accordingly.”
He said textbooks, workbooks and other materials would follow pupils to their new schools. For practical reasons, service providers delivered books to the schools that ordered them.
Nettie Koordom, governing body chairwoman at Bergrivier NGK Primary in Wellington, said the school community was hopeful the court bid would have a positive outcome.
“We are continuing as if the school is not going to close. We are not packing anything away,” she said.
Attwell said the WCED could not suspend its placement plans at this stage.
Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for Education MEC Donald Grant, said the ministry intended to oppose the application and would be submitting its response soon.
Cape Argus