Cape Town - The Western Cape needs 15 extra schools and an additional 480 teachers to accommodate the massive influx of pupils from other provinces this year.
Education Minister Debbie Schäfer said the province was reeling under the sheer numbers of applicants, with 5700 pupils still unplaced.
“The schooling system in this province has increased by 18285 learners compared to last year, 16285 of which are from outside the province,” Schäfer said. “Realistically, to accommodate this growth, we would need approximately 15 new additional schools and over 480 teachers.”
Schäfer said that in anticipation of the demand, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) built six new schools last year, three new mobile schools, 46 additional mobile classrooms and 34 new brick-and-mortar classrooms. Despite this, they had to order an additional 70 mobile classrooms this week.
“But it is simply not enough to keep up with the demand for places in Western Cape schools,” Schäfer said.
“More than 130000 learners have moved to the Western Cape from other provinces in the past five years, mainly from the Eastern Cape, placing the education system in the Western Cape under considerable pressure,” she said.
“The National Treasury has not responded adequately with financial adjustments.
“Over the last number of years we have simply not been compensated for the additional numbers, while other provinces have been cushioned from the effects of losing people.”
During the school year, the WCED expects to complete four new and two replacement schools - but it still won’t be enough. Many of the unplaced pupils applied after deadlines closed last year - and more late applications were expected.
A pupil, Cassidy Lucas, protested outside Pinelands High yesterday. Her parents are demanding to know why she was rejected from the school, her first choice.
“She’s missed that first experience of going to high school. That first day - that’s been taken from her,” said her mother, Tania Lucas.
Lucas has initiated a group called Parents Against Discrimination to provide support for others who feel their children have been wrongfully rejected from the school of their choice.
The WCED offered Cassidy a place at Oude Molen Technical High School, but her parents have not enrolled her there.
“It’s a technical school and she’s not a technical student,” Lucas said. “Why should we place her in a school that’s not going to nurture her needs?”
Pinelands High had 760 applicants for 188 places. Cassidy is currently on a waiting list.
Her father, Garth, said: “My dispute is: How have you established who you accept? What are the criteria?”
The Lucas family sent in Cassidy’s application to Pinelands High in March last year. They were notified in June that it was unsuccessful. Criteria for acceptance are determined by the school governing bodies.
Since then, the family have approached the WCED, the MEC for Education, the Human Rights Commission and even the Presidency.
The MEC’s office upheld the school’s decision. Garth is now submitting an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, to compel the school to disclose its reasons for rejecting Cassidy.
“All I want to know is how my child fell short, and how I can improve on that,” he said. “I had a son matriculate from this school five years ago. I have another son currently in matric at this school. I live four kilometres away from the school in Thornton.”
WCED spokesperson Jessica Shelver confirmed that the MEC for Education had considered Cassidy’s appeal, and dismissed it because the school was full. She was number 12 on the waiting list, and Pinelands High was not the closest school to her home.
“There is no evidence of discrimination at Pinelands and it is irresponsible of parents to claim this simply because they didn’t get their child into their school of choice,” Shelver said.
“It would be unfair to push this learner to the top of the list because her parents have decided to stage a protest.”
Pinelands High principal Dave Campbell declined to comment, saying the WCED would speak on behalf of the school.