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Rocky start to schools' opening
09/01/2008 12:56 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Shortages of teachers, textbooks and belated efforts to enrol children were some of the problems plaguing public schools on the first day of term on Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance said.
At Katlehong Secondary School, Gauteng's worst performing school with a 16% matric pass rate in 2007, children were in class by 08:30, said DA spokesperson James Lorimer.
"It's clear that the shortage of classrooms and teachers is dire. One teacher told us that there are between 60 and 70 children to one class.
"They've only got 50% of books for matrics. They only arrived yesterday and they still have to be stamped. The [Gauteng education] MEC [Angie Motshekga] said that teaching won't be affected, but I doubt that," said Lorimer.
However, Gauteng education department spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi said there had been "no major glitches".
Shortage of books
"The only problem, which is quite disturbing, is that parents are presenting themselves with their children at schools for the first time. It seems to be a general pattern across our district."
Despite this, he said the "system will hold" and efforts would be made to accommodate them.
A full report on the situation in the province would be available later in the day.
Kathy Callaghan from school governing body association, the Governors' Alliance, said she had been told of queues outside some schools countrywide where parents had had their children's' enrolment applications declined.
Despite this parents arrived with their children in full school uniform, in the hopes of having them accepted.
"It seems to be particularly at schools that have done well."
Spokesperson for Soweto School Governing Association, Marks Ramasike, said the availability of textbooks would likely pose a problem.
"We anticipate administrative issues, such as textbooks, and it's going to be worse with Thami Mali being suspended."
Mali, the Gauteng education department's chief director of districts, was suspended following allegations of misconduct, including alleged nepotism, in December last year.
In one primary school children had been asked to clean the classroom before teaching could start, Ramasike said.
On Wednesday morning Ramasike was helping a parent who had been told by a school to go back and certify their child's birth certificate, despite having the original.
President of teachers' union Naptosa, Dave Balt, said that generally preparations had "gone fairly smoothly".
"We're concerned about teacher shortages, particularly having qualified teachers standing in front of classrooms. We are going to closely monitor the issuing of textbooks and stationary.
"We know that there are a number of schools under enormous pressure - particularly on the East Rand, Ekurhuleni and south of Johannesburg."
- SAPA
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