Angry parents accuse Edu Department of maltreatment
Parents in the city said their efforts to get their children into government schools in the city in recent weeks, were in vain.
Anne Molope & Endy Senyatsi
POLOKWANE -The Department of Education is being accused of maltreatment by parents of learners who did not get space in schools in the city.
Last Tuesday, fuming parents removed the gate at the entrance to the department themselves, before overpowering security guards and forcing their way into the building. The incident left eight guards injured.
Angry parents, some of whom had to stay away from work for a protracted period of time, said their efforts to get their children into government schools in the city in recent weeks, were in vain.
According to one of the parents, the department promised that their children will be placed in schools, but since 9 January, little has been done.
“The silent treatment was overwhelming and we had to take action.”
Review spoke to a number of parents who felt their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
“We missed work every day since 9 January because of this. My husband had to travel from Johannesburg, and our employers have a no work, no pay attitude,” said Motshai Kganyago.
They say they have been coming to the department’s offices to fill in forms and their children are being redirected from one school to another, but still there is no finality.
“My child has been accepted in a school, but then she was replaced by another learner and lost her spot. How that is even possible I don’t know,” one parent, who wanted to stay anonymous, said.
Another parent spoke of her child being placed in a school in the city, and only after she’d bought the full school uniform, she found out the school had not been notified by the department that her child would attend.
The feeling among parents is mutual: they are being sent from pillar to post.
Earlier this week, police escorted some parents out of Flora Park Primary School after officials claimed they became hostile.
One guard who spoke to Review on condition of anonymity, said parents have exhausted all avenues and it is no wonder they “lost their cool”.
“Parents got frustrated after seeing no one at the department is helping them.”
This, he said, resulted in the burning of furniture inside the buildings.
Departmental Spokesperson Dr Naledzani Rasila, however, said most parents who are unhappy do not understand the enrollment policies.
“The policy of the department states a child should be accepted in the school in the area in which the family resides. If some children were accepted outside of their residential boundaries, they were lucky and fortunate because they applied in time and their school of choice probably had an opening for them.”
He said the majority of disgruntled parents were those who did not apply for space in schools last year or were parents who did not reside in the city itself, and wanted to enrol their children in schools in the city.
“Most parents expect us to do a ‘blanket placement’ of learners, which means they want to push us to place their children in any school, as if it is compulsory for schools to accept their children. Schools still have to follow procedure,” he said.
In cases where the department is aware of a lack of space, mobile classrooms have been delivered, including Ivy Park Primary and Piet Hugo.
Depending on resources, they plan on increasing mobile classes in all schools.
According to Rasila, of all the complaints raised with the department, only Gr R and Gr 1 waiting lists await finalisation.
