Illegal schools still operating

2010-02-08 22:57

Johannesburg - An illegal school at which a seven-year-old girl was raped is still open a month after the Gauteng department of education ordered it closed, the education department said on Monday.

The DD Dliwayo Primary School - which operates in Protea Glen in Soweto and in Vosloorus Boksburg - had merely changed its name to the Vine Foundation Phase and senior Primary School, the department said in a statement.

They continued to operate from the same premises.

Spokesperson Charles Phahlane said: "The head of the department has written to the owners of these schools informing them that they are running illegal schools.

"Pupils registered at the school - 175 from Protea Glen and 205 from Vosloorus - would be transferred to other schools.

Phalane urged parents affected by the announcement to contact the department's district offices "so we can facilitate the placement of their children in public schools.

"The department would like to strongly advise parents that they should not be fooled by people who change names of their unregistered schools and still continue operating illegally.

"Parents who continue sending their children to illegal schools run the risk of their children getting poor quality education; wasting the time of their children or losing their school fees," he said.

It was illegal for any school to operate without being registered, even if its registration was pending.

Despite defying the department's order to close down, no action would be taken against the directors of the two schools.

"We will only take action if they again re-open the schools without following procedure... we will take them to the police," Phalane said.

The seven-year-old was allegedly raped at the Protea Glen branch of the school on November 30.

- SAPA