The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will not close the Amazing K School for Autism, given the needs of the children.
This, after it had emerged that the school was not registered with the department. “We are working with the school to get registered and comply with all the relevant regulations,” said GDE spokesperson, Oupa Bodibe.
He said the school was advised last year on the registration process, but so far, the department has not received an application. “According to our investigation, we have discovered that the school has been communicating with the Association of Independent Schools, instead of the Department of Education. We have since provided advice to the school on the registration process,” he explained.
Bodibe concluded that once the school has submitted the application, with the compliance documents, the department will then conduct an assessment and registration would be considered. The school recently came under the spotlight when some residents in the suburb objected to the rezoning application to accommodate more children.
Speaking on behalf of the school, Leendert van Oostrum, from the Pestalozzi Trust, initially said the school had attempted, over a period of several years, to follow the rapidly changing legal procedures for opening a school, but to no avail.
The Pestalozzi Trust is an organisation that works with home-schoolers and cottage schools to protect their freedom to provide home and private education, in a bid to ensure that parents can educate their children lawfully and without unjustified interference.
Van Oostrum said the government’s response to these charges was the standard one of puffed-up politicians and petty bureaucrats avoiding accountability for their actions. “It is perfectly clear that parents are capable of doing quality control for the education of their children.
“Parents have concluded that the education provided by the education department is not what their children need. Parents are already doing quality control of the education of their children. Quality control measures by the GDE are, therefore, superfluous and almost certainly deleterious to a good education.” Meanwhile, the Northwold Residents’ Association responded to a previous article with a three-page letter, consisting of 21 points to be taken into consideration before they are judged for lodging an objection. According to the letter, this community stands by its objections that by doubling the size of the school, while it remains in a small neighbourhood, on the corner of a small cul-de-sac, without adding to and increasing the size of the house, is inappropriate.
“We acknowledge the work being done by Amazing K is admirable. A community poll has determined that the majority of residents feel strongly that security in the area will be compromised by extra traffic,” said Leigh Stringfellow, in a letter representing the Home Owners and Residents of Northwold.
Details: Gauteng Department of Education 011 355 0000; Pestalozzi Trust 012 330 1337.
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