Chairperson, this is the report of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation on the oversight visit to Nondzame Primary School, Groot Drakenstein in Paarl on 14 October 2009, dated 17 February 2010.
The Select Committee on Education and Recreation undertook an oversight visit to Nondzame Primary School in Paarl on Wednesday, 14 October 2009. The visit was in response to correspondence received from the governing body of the school, and was also aimed at contributing to the committee's mandate of ensuring that provincial interests are taken into account in the national sphere of government.
The committee consisted of a multiparty delegation led by the chairperson, and was accompanied by the school principal and members of the school governing body, as well as educators and administrative staff of Nondzame Primary School.
The main purpose of the meeting with the school governing body and the educators was to discuss the challenges facing the school in its proposed merger, and the terms and conditions in the event that such a merger did take place, as well as a proposed relocation of the school from Groot Drakenstein to Stellenbosch. Due to a misunderstanding between departmental officials and the school governing body, the relocation did not materialise.
The oversight visit to the school provided the committee with an in-depth understanding of the situation at the school. They found that the school is situated on privately owned land, and is the only school in the area using isiXhosa as a medium of instruction. After a visit by the MEC for education it was proposed that the school be merged with another school offering Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
Communication channels between the school governing body and the department are almost nonexistent, as the department has been giving instructions to the school most of the time. The provincial department of education has been keeping the school in the dark about the processes involved in regard to the proposed merger and did not handle the matter with the required sensitivity. It appears that there were no clear terms and conditions for the proposed merger, which has led to the conflict.
The possible closure and merger of the school has led to the school losing a number of teachers due to uncertainty about the future of the school. The school and the governing body are not opposed to the idea of the proposed merger or the relocation. The general view is that before the school can consider the proposed merger and possible relocation, terms and conditions need to be clarified.
Some learners are using bicycles donated to the school as a mode of transport to and from school. The school is far from the residential area, and this is one of the reasons why the school is not opposed to the idea of relocating to a place closer to the community.
Relations between the councillor and the school are almost nonexistent, as he is alleged to have failed to act and intervene when his intervention was most needed and could have played a major role in this regard. The regional director did not assist the school to address the issue of the possible relocation and merger. The departmental representative and circuit manager could not respond to any of the questions of the delegation, since he had not been briefed and was not directly involved in the matter.
The key challenges revealed by the oversight are: insufficient school furniture and a lack of library facilities, computers and sports ground; a limited number of classrooms, which results in overcrowding; an insufficient number of teachers, which leads to some teachers teaching in more than one learning area; a lack of security, which leads to vandalism; teachers leaving the school for greener pastures, which was also triggered by the possibility of the merger and relocation of the school to Pniel.
Learners walk long distances to and from school, as the school does not benefit from the scholar transport grant, causing some learners to reach the school only by midday due to the long distances that they have to walk. Parents are unemployed, and it becomes difficult to pay for learners to get to school. This leads to learners' arriving late for school.
The visit has provided the committee with a general overview of the challenges faced by the school and a clear picture of the situation, as well as the manner in which this issue was handled. In essence, the school is faced with the common challenge of poor quality of physical infrastructure and a general lack of resources.
The committee resolved that the department of education in the province would be summoned to appear before the select committee to explain the status of Nondzame Primary School, specifically with regard to the proposed merger and relocation. The committee further recommends that the provincial department of education should clarify the terms and conditions of the merger and proposed relocation, and ensure that, in the event that the schools are merged, the legacies of the two schools are not compromised.
Mechanisms should be developed to improve relations between the school governing body and the councillor of the area. Communication channels between the department and the school should be improved, and an amicable solution found without compromising the learners' constitutional right to education. Communities should begin to treat the school as a community centre; they should feel that they own the school, which will ensure that no vandalism takes place at the school. The merger should be done in a way that does not lead to learners being deprived of their constitutional right to be taught in the language of their choice.
The department of education, both at district and provincial levels, must explore ways of developing retention strategies to prevent the poaching of teachers by urban schools, and develop mechanisms to provide incentives for teachers in rural and farm schools such as Nondzame.
The department of education must ensure that Nondzame Primary School has proper infrastructure, such as sporting facilities, libraries and computer laboratories. It must also make sure that scholar transport is provided as a matter of priority; that the school is fenced to prevent vandalism; and that security is provided as a matter of urgency. The school governing body, as well as the management of the school, must not be excluded from taking part in the merging and relocation processes. With the problem at Nondzame Primary School being very sensitive, it could have been handled better by the provincial department, which has a moral obligation to treat it with the urgency it deserves.
I put this report before the House for consideration. Thank you.
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.