Education

22 Sep 2020

1. Delegation of 6 parents came to Head Office and met with Mr Abrahams and Mrs Van Niekerk.
2. WCED clarified that the process of building a school is a long, costly, and complex process.

WCED undertook to:

3. Inform the Director of Metro East Education District and the Circuit Manager for that area so that a meeting can be held with the concerned parents.
4. To contact Infrastructure to ascertain if there are any plans for building a school in that area.
5. Look at the ratios of the existing schools in the area for possible placement.
6. Add the request for a mobile school to the existing requests.
7. In conjunction with the district office, keep the parents informed of progress regarding the matter.

15 Oct 2020

1. District officials Messrs Magodla, Cwayi and Mdledle met with community group.
2. WCED acknowledged a list of 407 learners but required parents to complete a form as specific learner information such as CEMIS or ID number is required.
3. The issue of language was raised and the WCED explained the complexities and options available.
4. A solution was proposed to transport learners to a school which can accommodate the Language.
5. This solution was rejected.

District undertook to:

6. Take the request and information provided by the delegation and put through the need to Head Office via the District Director.
7. Ascertain if there was land available in the area.
8. If no land was available, to look at learner transport as an interim measure until land becomes available.

26 Nov 2020

Mr Z Cwayi and Mr R Joorst (Property Planner) did a site visit at Forest Village and investigated the sites which were presented by the community for a school and established that the sites proposed by the community have been earmarked for Commercial, Educare, Municipality and a place of Worship (Erf no and Map provided)

15 Jan 2021

1. District officials reported back to the community group about the proposed sites and the challenges of securing and transferring land from the CoCT.
2. The district proposed a solution of accommodating learners at Homba Primary School (Grade 1-7) and Bulumko Secondary School Grade 8-10.
3. WCED offered a learner transport Route to be instituted. Mr Cwayi had prepared an application to bus the learners from Forest Village to Homba Primary School and Bulumko Secondary School.
4. The community group rejected the offer.
5. The community group made it clear that they do not want placement of learners, they want a school. They would only accept placement if they could create their own school at another school using their own uniform and their own teachers that already were teaching the learners under the tree.
6. The District offered an additional class at Apex Primary School to accommodate learners from Forest Village Housing Development. The district contacted all the Grade 1 learners on the list which was submitted by the community group.
7. Out of the 42 Grade 1 names submitted, less than 10 could be placed, some uncontactable, others were already registered at schools in Philippi and Mfuleni. There was also the name of the child who was born in 2017 on the list for Grade 1.

5 Feb 2021

The district met with representatives from the community group, but there was no resolution. The group would not accept the placement solutions offered.  

29 Mar 2021

1. The WCED indicated that a way forward was needed now, as the department still had the offer at Homba Primary School.
2. The proposed school offers Xhosa and the department recommended dual medium LOLT to accommodate the learners in the greater Forest Village community.
3. In closing the department again offered interim placement of Grade 1 -7 learners.
4. The community group requested a meeting to ask Councillors Fitz, Heynz and Councillor Bele assistance in identifying land for a school.
5. The community group asked for clarity since they have a combined school under the trees. Is the department going to cater for both Primary School and High School?
6. The WCED indicated that the department no longer supports combined schools as a model.
7. The WCED again reminded the group that the time frame for building a school depends on the availability of land and finance.
8. The WCED requested a new list of learners, as there may be new learners who joined the school this year.
9. The WCED indicated that it would contact the community group regarding the request for the meeting with the Councillors.

1 Apr 2021

The WCED proposed a meeting with the parents of learners at Spurwing Primary School to get information about the learners for placement purposes.

The WCED also concluded the meeting by re-affirming that:

1. The reality is that the illegal school cannot be registered and the learners cannot be registered as attending a school.
2. The community was advised to list their demands in writing and present it to the department.
3. The WCED proposed that we place the children at existing schools.
4. The WCED will need a thorough list.  
5. The community group was requested to please submit the list before the 7th of April 2021.

1. The community submitted a list of 210 names of unplaced learners at the illegal school.
2. EELC also submitted a letter with a list of unplaced learners.
3. The community eventually, after refusing to submit learner names, submitted the files with learner details to the WCED.
4. The files included the names of learners attending other schools but who would want to re-locate to Forest Village schools.
5. The WCED captured and processed the 3 lists and validated the data using ID numbers and CEMIS numbers.
6. It was found that after duplications had all been removed that the actual number of learners at the illegal school was 336 learners.
7. Of the 336, one was a Grade R learner, 218 were already in a WCED school (attending school already) and 117 learners were not attending school.
8. The WCED contacted parents telephonically and offered parents places at schools and issued letters to those parents willing to take up the available places.

For noting, process update

6 May 2021

1. A WCED district official visited the site to collect letters from parents willing to take up the places offered.
2. The official was detained by a group of parents and the GG car was stoned and damaged.
3. The police intervened and the official was released.
4. A request to meet with the community group was conveyed.

E-mail, photos and SAPS Case Number available upon request.

7 May 2021

1. The WCED met with a delegation from the illegal site under the trees at the district office.
2. The meeting discussed the incident that happened and agreed to move forward in the interests of the learners.
3. The WCED affirmed that a long-term solution was being explored.
4. The WCED again clarified that the placement of the learners was an interim measure until a permanent solution could be found.
5. The WCED undertook to provide parents with an update. 
6. The parents agreed to the placement of 117 learners at schools in the Eerste River area.
7. The WCED also undertook to send the list of 226 learners to the community group to check if all learners had been placed.
8. The WCED undertook to unblock any cases where learners were still not placed.

Report / Minutes not available as yet.