Education
In respect of the education challenges at the Buisplaas community:
What is the (i) total number of learners from the community who are enrolled at schools that are more than 6 km away from their homes, (ii) detailed breakdown per (aa) grade, (bb) age, (cc) gender and (dd) race, (iii) number of learners from the community to whom (aa) are provided learner transport and (bb) are not provided learner transport and (iv) number of learners who are (aa) housed at the Department’s hostels and (bb) not housed there, (b) what are the details of the (i) communication and (ii) meetings that his Department has held with the community, (c) what was discussed and resolved at each meetings, (d) what are the reasons why his Department declined the request from the community for his Department to provide learner transport or hostel accommodation for the learners and (e) what are his Department’s plans to address the challenges experienced by this community?
6. We are aware of complaints regarding learners travelling from Buisplaas to Herbertsdale Laerskool.
My department has informed me of the following:
(a) (i) There are 28 learners from Buisplaas attending Herbertsdale Laerskool. 19 learners stay in the school hostel, 7 learners travel on a daily basis, and 2 learners stay in privately arranged accommodation within the community.
(aa), (bb) and (cc):
Learners accommodated in the school hostel:
| Age | Grade | Gender |
1 | 10 | LSEN | Male |
2 | 7 | 1 | Female |
3 | 8 | 2 | Female |
4 | 8 | 2 | Male |
5 | 9 | 2 | Female |
6 | 8 | 2 | Male |
7 | 8 | 2 | Female |
8 | 8 | 2 | Female |
9 | 9 | 3 | Female |
10 | 10 | 4 | Male |
11 | 11 | 4 | Female |
12 | 11 | 4 | Female |
13 | 11 | 4 | Female |
14 | 11 | 4 | Female |
15 | 13 | 7 | Female |
16 | 13 | 7 | Female |
17 | 15 | 7 | Female |
18 | 15 | 7 | Male |
19 | 14 | 7 | Female |
Learners travelling from Buisplaas daily:
| Age | Grade | Gender |
1 | 7 | 1 | Female |
2 | 7 | 1 | Male |
3 | 7 | 1 | Female |
4 | 7 | 1 | Male |
5 | 8 | 2 | Male |
6 | 11 | 4 | Male |
7 | 11 | 5 | Male |
Learners from Buisplaas, but have alternative/private accommodation in
Herbertsdale.
| Age | Grade | Gender |
1 | 9 | 3 | Female |
2 | 11 | 6 | Male |
(dd) Race: All the learners are coloured.
(iii) Learner transport
(aa) A bi-weekly transport route for the 19 learners accommodated in the hostel has been activated.
(bb) 9 learners – an offer of accommodation in the hostel, with bi-weekly transport has been made to the parents of these learners.
(iv) Hostel
(aa) 19 learners from Buisplaas.
(bb) 9 learners from Buisplaas: 7 learners travel daily and 2 are have private accommodation within the community.
(b)
(i) There has been communication from Head Office from the Director: Institutional Resource Support and the Circuit Manager of the school.
(ii) The Director of Eden and Central Karoo Education District Office and the Circuit Manager visited the community and school. These visits included engagements with staff, parents and community members respectively where they addressed the concerns of the community and highlighted the benefits of staying at hostels. They also visited the hostel facilities and found them to be in good condition.
(c) The Director engaged the complaints and concerns of parents and staff, and the following resolutions were taken:
- Quarterly meetings to be held with parents and the hostel staff;
- Open days every 6 months for parents to assess the conditions in which their children are living;
- The establishment of a hostel sub-committee; and
- To strengthen communication via Whatsapp and other communication channels.
No substance could be found to support the allegations of bullying or the claim that the hostel is “unsafe”. Incident registers were provided for both the hostel and school to support this. In addition, the hostels, and all related amenities, were clean and up to standard. Any allegation of inappropriate behaviour is dealt with within the relevant institutional policy framework.
(d) The main concern is the safety of the route from Buisplaas to Herbertsdale.
The route to Buisplaas includes a 15 km stretch of gravel road which poses a multitude of hazardous road conditions, aggravated during rainy days.
The principal and SGB of the school also raised their concern about a daily transport route on this road.
The school has a hostel facility, and therefore qualify for a hostel subsidy. If the hostel did not exist, then daily learner transport would be instituted. A concession was made to provide bi-weekly transport for the learners to and from the hostel.
The parents of Buisplaas had initially requested a weekend transport scheme for their children. The school supported this initiative. Just as the transport service became operational, the parents changed their initial request to a daily transport scheme.
It is alleged that a rumour was circulated indicating an unsafe environment at the school hostel. The school addressed these rumours and concerns and instituted further measures to ensure the safety of learners, such as a supervision schedule to monitor behaviour.
The school’s hostel has been operational for more than a century and was upgraded in 2019 at a cost of R2 million. It is also reported that the academic performance of the resident learners at the hostel was more favourable in comparison with those learners who do not reside in the hostel. Furthermore, the learners at the hostel are exposed to sports and social activities after school.
(e) The resolutions taken are outlined in (c). The District will monitor to ensure that these are implemented.
A concession was made to approve a hostel transport subsidy per learner per quarter at the beginning and end of each quarter and over two weekends per month of the 2023 school year. This allowance is approved on an ad hoc basis and may be renewed subject to approval.
