Johannesburg - As the inland school year began on
Wednesday, about 300 high school pupils were turned away from a Limpopo school
after its governing body decided it was more suited to being a primary school.
"The information we received is that the SGB at the
school decided that they're changing the name of the school from Luthuli
Combined School to Luthuli Primary School," Limpopo education department
spokesperson Paena Galane said.
"They are a law upon themselves. They decided they
are going to put a gun on the head of the department. It is tantamount to
criminal activity."
Galane said education authorities had spoken to school
management at the Polokwane-based school and asked them to be patient with the
department.
"They need to give us time. People need to work with
us to ensure that all the schools that were put on the list are getting the
necessary attention."
Meanwhile, the department's Phuti Seloba said local
government was taking "serious interventions" to ensure that children
who had not been placed in a school would get a space by Friday.
"We give preference to kids coming from the
catchment areas," he added.
At the Boitumelong Primary School in Bloemhof, North
West, parents and pupils were told that a platooning system was being
implemented due to overcrowding.
Some children would be taught until noon and the rest
from noon until 17:00.
"The school felt that rather than turning the
children away, they'd turn to platooning," provincial education department
spokesperson Brian Setswambung said.
"It's not something that we have planned, it was an
attempt at averting a crisis of overcrowding."
The department would make sure a solution was found and
that platooning would not become a permanent feature at the school.
Late registration
Elsewhere in the province, department officials visited
schools to ensure that pupils, teachers and school books had arrived.
Setswambung said the day went well, although he admitted
that late registration of pupils was a problem.
"In some cases the department is able to intervene
and request schools to place such children," he said.
North West Education MEC Wendy Matsemela visited various
schools and was happy with what she found, said Setswambung.
Parents in Pretoria were left frustrated when their
children were turned away from schools across the city.
"I don't believe these schools genuinely don't have
spaces for our kids. I have been to six schools this week and they all seem to
be singing from the same hymn sheet like a choir," said Koketso Mothirha
outside the Hamilton Primary School.
She was seeking a Grade 1 vacancy for her son Samuel.
Mothirha, a travel agent, said she had recently moved
into Pretoria from Bloemfontein.
"I do not know what I will do. I have the money and
I want to pay in full. I had made arrangements for my son to attend school in
Bloemfontein, but we are here because I have to work," said the mother of
two. Principal of Pretoria's Dansa International College, Marelize de Bruin,
had her hands full as Grade 1 pupils streamed in with parents in tow.
Paperless
education
Her office had been inundated with inquiries from parents
seeking places for their children.
"That is a huge problem. All our school grades have
been full since August last year. We cannot take any more new pupils. We really
want to help, but we can't," she said.
"The message of early registration of pupils is
always repeated. Schools cannot wait for the first day of school to take in
students. At this stage we are prioritising teaching the pupils we have."
At Boitumelong Secondary School in Tembisa, Johannesburg,
a launch was held for the first seven "paperless" schools in Gauteng,
that would see pupils using tablet computers.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa launched "the big
switch-on" which he said would boost the country's economy.
The R17bn project aimed to introduce tablets to all
government schools in Gauteng by 2018.
