Department plans to merge two schools

Following a letter requesting the closure of the school by January 2023, Ourief Primary School parents held a meeting on Saturday, 14 January.

According to Jacob Ramotsoela, the school principal, he received a letter from an executive council member on 13 December 2022, requesting the school’s closure by 1 January this year. “The letter came as a shock and at very short notice,” Ramotsoela said.

The letter also requested the merger of Ourief Primary with Padi Primary School because the school has so few learners. For this year, the school registered only 71 learners. “We needed more time to inform the parents and school governing body (SGB) about the news, so we sent a letter back to the department asking for an extension of at least three months,” Ramotsoela explained. The school is still awaiting a response. In the meantime, how-ever, it would like

to inform the public of the possible change. During the meeting on 14 January, the majority of the parents voted in favour of keeping the school open, but they will have to hear what the Department of Education decides.

Ramotsoela says both schools have been operating as normal since they received the letter requesting a merger last month (December). “I have since sent out a communication, asking for an extension. But, we have still not heard anything from the Department,” he said. The Herald asked the department for comment, but had not received a response by the time of going to print.