Johannesburg - We’re ready. That’s the word from Gauteng education authorities, as 2 million pupils head off to Gauteng schools on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Education MEC Barbara Creecy rolled up the sleeves of her blue workman’s jacket and got her hands dirty on the last day of the province’s school clean-up campaign. The drive, which started last week, was aimed at getting the province’s schools ready for the school year.
Speaking to pupils, teachers and parents at Nokulunga Primary School in Katlehong, Creecy urged children to arrive at school on time, and for parents and teachers to play their role.
“We began this year on a high note, our high schools got the best results Gauteng has ever had. This year, I want the primary schools to get the best results they’ve ever had,” she said.
Creecy said the province has about 200 000 Grade 1 pupils this year. The total number of pupils in the provinces’ schools will be known once the department has completed the annual headcount on the 10th day of schooling.
Creecy said all schools were assessed by the end of November as being ready for teaching and learning to start on Wednesday.
“All registered learners are in class, on time, learning with the necessary stationery and textbooks” and “All educators are in class, on time, teaching with the correct resources”, she said.
The MEC said her department was ready to deal with the influx of parents who would still be looking to enrol their children after schools have opened.
“Each year the (department) has had to contend with late-admission applications in January. This has primarily been a result of huge in-migration and relocation into Gauteng,” she said.
Creecy appealed to parents to approach the district offices, and not schools, when looking for placement for their children.
She said all the province’s 15 districts would have an admission operation centre to deal with placements.
At the beginning of last year, the department processed about 15 000 late applications.
To tackle overcrowding, Creecy said, the department would open four new schools on Wednesday.
She said the schools were in communities of “high need” where not all children could be accommodated in schools in the area.
The new schools are Orefile Primary in Olievenhoutbosch, Kwaggafontein Primary in Tarlton, Winnie Mandela Senior Secondary in Tembisa and Sicelo Senior Secondary in Meyerton.
Gauteng Department of Education spokesman Charles Phahlane said the four schools combined would accommodate 4 382 pupils.
Eight other schools were under construction and would be completed by the end of June, he said.
The school buildings were due to be completed by the end of the first term, in terms of the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development’s plans last year.
Nationally, the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, said the department was ready for day one of schooling.
“We are ready to welcome about a million learners into the education system,” she said.
Department of Basic Education spokesman Panyaza Lesufi said workbooks had been delivered to most schools.
“Nationally, the delivery rate is 98.8 percent, with maths and science books for this year being delivered from Grade 10 to 12.
‘‘Top-up textbooks will be delivered to schools within the first two weeks of school attendance, so as to minimise disruptions,” he said.
The Star