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Cope MPP Alta van Zyl, member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee (SC) on Education, requested that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) explain to the procedure undertaken for the pending closure of 27 schools in the province. On 24 July 2012 that meeting was held.

In her presentation provincial education head Ms Penny Vinjevold raised legal concerns about the disclosure of the school names, because the process started in March 2012 and expected to be finalised in September, has not been completed.

It transpired that:
 

• About 4 000 learners will be affected by the imminent closure of 27 schools in the Western Cape;
• Although the request was that the WCED reported on all of the 27 schools, unilaterally they decided to only use two schools in the Metro as examples and reported that those schools are within the radius of 2 km from neighbouring schools and could accommodate learners from the schools earmarked to be closed.
• No detailed plan of teacher placement was provided but the department assured the SC that teachers in excess will be matched and placed;
• It was mentioned that the schools were monitored for three years before a recommendation for their closure was given, but no report was given;
• The request for a comprehensive report on interventions made by the WCED before the recommendation for closure was given was not honoured, but assurance was given that it exists;
• The overall reasons for the closure of the schools were a decline in numbers; or multi-graded, and the poor or non existence of infrastructure.

Education MEC Donald Grant assured the SC that the closure of the schools was not driven by economic considerations, but rather to improve and consolidate literacy and numeracy learning in primary education, and have greater retention rate forsecondary schools.

Also the fact that the WED only reported on two schools in the Metro to demonstrate the reasons behind the closure recommendation makes hard to come into any conclusive decision about how it may affect the rest of the schools, especially in rural areas.

For instance:

• What would the effects be (financial and physically) on schools in different areas, especially those ones in rural areas?
• Will the cost of learner transportation increase?
• What would the effect be on school fees as most are poor quintile schools?
• What arrangements are in place to help learners to physically adjust in their new environment, as it was not relocation by choice or preference, thus it may result in a higher dropout rate?
• Will there be financial assistance for poor parents to buy new school uniforms?

Cope believes there might be a genuine need for closure of schools in certain cases, but it is patently clear that if opposition parties had not put pressure on the MEC and the department, the process might not have followed proper constitutional steps, like the need to consult all affected stakeholders. Public notices of dates and venues for public hearings were published in newspapers last week, but the names of the schools were all over in newspapers and electronic media for quite a while.

During the debate in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, political parties addressed the issue of how many schools were closed in the past and how many new schools will be built in future and totally missed the burning issue at hand – what effect will the closure of schools have on the learners? What will the distance be from their homes to new schools? Will it be safe to walk the distance, what does the area look like, especially in rural areas, for primary school boys and girls, say 7 year of age to walk? This and other issues need to be addressed and again MEC Grant missed the opportunity to speak to the human sacrifices which accompany the closing of schools.