Cape Town - A task team has been appointed to determine who of the children being taught in mobile classrooms in Dunoon are of school-going age and whether they need to be enrolled in schools.
The classrooms have been occupied since Monday by a group of parents and other residents who claim that more than 300 children in the area have not been enrolled in a school because the two local primary schools are full.
Residents told the Cape Argus that the list consisted of children who were on waiting lists at Dunoon and Sophakama primary schools.
On Tuesday, three classes were started in the mobile classrooms, previously used by Sophakama Primary until that school moved to permanent structures several months ago.
Resident Lungile Mdayi said more than 100 children had attended classes on Wednesday, while there were more than 60 on Tuesday.
He said the group had not yet received feedback from the Western Cape Education Department following a visit by officials on Tuesday.
Jessica Shelver, spokeswoman for Education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said the task team, appointed by the metropole north education district, had started checking a list provided by the group and had thus far established that 115 of the children were already enrolled in schools.
The remaining names were still being checked.
Shelver said the pupil population in the metropole north district was continuing to grow, in line with general population trends.
“The city can only expand northwards as migrants continue to flock to Cape Town, limiting space on the peninsula. The migration is placing huge demands on all resources, including demand for housing, schools, medical facilities and jobs.
She said the department had built many new schools in the district over the past five years and would continue to do so.
“The department will approach the city to try and extend the lease on the land used temporarily for accommodating learners while we rebuilt Sophakama Primary.”
Shelver said large numbers of inward migration to the province had financial and planning consequences.
She said the influx of 154 891 pupils from the Eastern Cape over the past five years had cost the Western Cape government R1.85 billion.
Cape Argus