Education
[1] Whether an assessment of the current schooling resources has been done for the areas covering (a) Muizenberg, (b) St James, (c) Kalk Bay, (d) Fish Hoek, (e) Sun Valley, (f) Simon’s Town, (g) Ocean View and (h) Masiphumelele; if not, why not; if so, what were the results;
[2] whether, based on this information as well as on forward projection of population and developmental increases, a future needs assessment for those areas has been completed; if not, why not; if so, what are the (a) details, (b) plans and (c) time frames to meet these needs?
(1) Assessments of school infrastructure are conducted in all areas through the District Analysis using the WCED’s Infrastructure Planning GIS. The findings of this analysis is discussed with Districts during the U-AMP process. Needs identified are categorised in terms of urgency and budget availability, with the focus on immediate needs as priority.
The areas mentioned above were discussed with the relevant district and the need for additional accommodation due to high enrolment in areas like Masiphumelele was noted and will be addressed in future U-AMP’s.
However, the availability of suitable land is a huge challenge in Masiphumelele. The enrolment trends for areas like Fishhoek, St James and Muizenberg indicate that existing schools should rather expand before new schools are considered. Ocean View SS has been identified for expansion.
(2) Future needs assessment is based on several factors:
- Existing enrolment trends at schools;
- Projected population growth as per the 2011 census;
- Engagement with the City in terms of future developments and housing needs.
This information is contained in the WCED’s infrastructure planning GIS and taken into account when the district analysis is updated annually. The findings of the analysis indicated that expansion is the more cost effective solution, before new schools will be considered. At present, only Ocean View SS is accommodated in the MTEF for expansion. Existing schools in the area, such as Bay and Paul Greyling will need to accommodate more learners before expansion will be feasible at these schools. They have a learner to classroom ratio of 23 and 24 respectively.
