The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape is making an urgent plea to Northern Cape Education MEC, Martha Bartlett, to urgently prioritise the appointment of teachers in and around Springbok.

Angry parents and learners at the SA van Wyk School today closed the school in protest, accusing the department of dragging its feet in response to the problems standing in the way of their children receiving a quality education.

It is reported that the educator for Mathematics and CAT is currently on maternity leave and will only resume her duties later this year. The department has simply refused to appoint a substitute teacher.

The school is also short of teachers for business studies and accounting. The school’s 40 matriculants are the worst affected.

Concerned parents already signed a petition last week, to put pressure on the department to make urgent appointments to prevent their children from falling behind in these crucial subjects. The parent’s concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

It has come to the DA’s attention that learners from Okiep High School have also been participating in protests and locked the entrances of the school because there are too few teachers at the school. These learners are also upset that they have no drama teacher because her contract expired and the department refuses to renew her contract.

Meanwhile, at Rooiwal Primary School three educators have to squeeze three classes into one classroom.

It is unacceptable that education is treated with such disdain. In effect, the NC government is killing education and killing hopes of a better future for our children.

The DA will write to MEC Bartlett, appealing to her to urgently appoint educators, especially in the more rural areas where unemployment and school dropout rates are high.

The current state of education in the province cannot be tolerated. It is time that we hold this department and this failing ANC government accountable for the many injustices suffered by our learners. The only way to do this, is to vote the failing ANC out of power because they are clearly not capable of fixing the numerous problems in education.

Only change under a DA-led government will ensure that the education system is accountable and efficient and prioritises the education of all learners in the province.

 

Issued by The DA