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Schools all set for the influx
09/01/2007 22:24 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Provincial education departments reported on Tuesday that they were ready for the millions of pupils for the start of the 2007 school year.
Schools will re-open in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and Free State on Wednesday.
Education MEC Angie Motshekga said on Tuesday: "The Gauteng department of education is ready to roll out the 2007 academic calendar."
Preliminary figures indicated that Gauteng pupils would increase by more than 12% with more than 2.6 million at the province's schools.
Most pupils registered last year, said Motshekga.
About 36 000 registered late, but the department was able to accommodate some of them in schools.
Supplies have been delivered
Motshekga said 4 000 remaining pupils, and those who went to schools on Wednesday to seek admission, would be found places soon.
Stationery has been supplied to schools and department officials will be deployed to deal with unforeseen problems.
Motshekga said the influx of pupils would be mostly felt in Tshwane, southern Johannesburg and the East Rand.
"Plans have been made to provide relief to extremely overcrowded schools through the provision of mobile classrooms during the first term."
Eleven new schools have been completed throughout the province.
The Mpumalanga education department said it wanted teaching to start on the first day of school.
Spokesperson Hlahla Ngwenya said: "We want schools to break away from the culture of letting the pupils clean the schools and grounds on the first day."
Registration of new pupils was also encouraged last year but late-comers would be accommodated outside normal school hours.
North West education department anticipates about 850 000 pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 12 at its 2 200 public schools on Wednesday.
"In a nutshell we are as ready as can be expected," said spokesperson Charles Raseala.
Some, mostly relocating, pupils were seeking admission, but there was a good response from parents to a campaign held last year.
A problem with late delivery of Grade 11 top-up material from publishers at some schools should be rectified by the end of January.
Free State doing the rounds
Suppliers also had not met deadlines for chairs and desks for two new schools at Setlakgobe village near Mafikeng, he said.
Free State education MEC Ouma Tsopo said her department would visit districts in the next five days to evaluate the province's school readiness.
The department of education in Limpopo could not be reached for comment.
- SAPA
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