Uitzig parents fight for ‘unsafe’ school

Cape Town-160531- Parents of pupils at Uitzig High School scheduled a press conference at the school. We arrived there to find about ten of them painting and doing various repairs to the school. In pic, Christo Visagie (back on ladder), Jacqueline Majampa and Sharon Koeberg remove broken glass from windows and paint the school-Reporter-Ilse-Photographer-Tracey Adams

Cape Town-160531- Parents of pupils at Uitzig High School scheduled a press conference at the school. We arrived there to find about ten of them painting and doing various repairs to the school. In pic, Christo Visagie (back on ladder), Jacqueline Majampa and Sharon Koeberg remove broken glass from windows and paint the school-Reporter-Ilse-Photographer-Tracey Adams

Published Jun 1, 2016

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Cape Town - Off the back of the school their children attend being declared unsafe by structural engineers, parents armed with painting equipment and tools have taken it upon themselves to fix Uitzig Secondary School in Elsies River.

Parents and alumni on Tuesday painted walls and removed broken windows from classrooms in an unused section of the school, and would rather do the work themselves than send their children to a neighbouring school while renovations are being done.

School governing body chairwoman Rosaline Smith said this section of the school was in a better condition than the rest of the classrooms.

But the Western Cape Education Department said a report by engineers had indicated the roof “is dangerous.”

The department’s spokesman, Paddy Attwell, said: “We have noted the intention of parents to keep their children at Uitzig, and we are taking legal advice on whether they can be held responsible for their health and safety.”

The department’s plan had been to move the children and their teachers to Ravensmead Secondary last Friday, but the governing body refused.

Attwell said pupils could still take up this option, adding that classrooms had been prepared for them at RavensmeadSecondary. Smith said parents had also studied the engineers’ report and their understanding was that there was no imminent threat of the roof collapsing.

Parent Sharon Koeberg said parents were more concerned about their children’s safety in Ravensmead.

“There is an issue with gangs. How do we know what will await our children should they leave Uitsig to go to Ravensmead?”

She said she and other parents, as well as former pupils, wanted to restore the school to a condition that was conducive to learning.

The parents said that during a meeting at the weekend the department had agreed to assemble mobile classrooms at Uitzig.

Attwell said senior officials had agreed to on the mobile classrooms at the school as a temporary arrangement.

“It will take several weeks to do so.”

He said the engineers had advised the pupils be moved off the premises, given the poor condition of the school.

“We always welcome the initiative of parents who wish to help maintain a school.

“Unfortunately, the roof and the ablution facilities are the main concern, and require considerable investment, despite previous repairs in 2014.

“The parents are working at the school at their own risk, given the state of the buildings.”

On Tuesday, the Cape Argus reported that MEC of Education Debbie Schafer had sent Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich a letter in which she threatened to take legal against him for his “ongoing interference” at the school.

She said she had been advised that Ehrenreich, during discussions with officials, had threatened violence if the department tried to move the pupils.

Ehrenreich said the school community had made its own decision, and that all he had done was to communicate that decision.

“Court and police cannot stop me from supporting and protecting the learners of workers,” he said.

On Monday, the Cape Argus reported an engineers’ report had shown that the buildings of another school, Beauvallon Secondary in Valhalla Park, was also not safe for continued occupation.

The provincial education ministry indicated the plan had been to move Beauvallon’s pupils to John Ramsay High School, but that the governing body had refused.

On Tuesday, the children were still at the school. The department said there were six classrooms at Beauvallon that could still be used.

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Cape Argus

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