South Africa: An education crisis seems to be looming for Hermanus, affecting especially English-speaking learners.

[Harold Schiffman]

School crisis
Grethe Augustyn


An education crisis seems to be looming for Hermanus, affecting
especially English-speaking learners. Hermanus Primary is bursting at
the seams and many learners have been left out in the cold or have
ended up on a long waiting list for the coming academic year. Although
the capacity problem is not limited to the Gr 1 classes,
English-speaking parents of Gr 1 learners have voiced their concerns
about the school governing body's decision to alter the previous
language ratio of two English and two Afrikaans Gr 1 classes to one
English and three Afrikaans classes.

Jennifer Ball, in a letter to Hermanus Times has reacted strongly
against this decision that she regards as being "indicative of the
bias" of the governing body stating that it encroaches on her child's
constitutional right to affordable education in her child's home
language. With a waiting list of "more than thirty" children Ball
asks. "How many years must we watch the population explode with the
ongoing development and ignore the fact that we have not enough
educational facilities, especially for English-speaking children? We
should not be forced to pay for private educational alternatives."

Hermanus Primary principal, Barry Cilliers admits that the school
faces a serious problem with capacity and that they were unable to
accommodate all the applications they received for next year. Adding
that this problem will only get worse in the coming years and that he
has been warning the department that this will happen since 1996,
Cilliers explains that many Afrikaans speaking children were also not
accepted. The school is so full that they are forced to have breaks in
two sessions. According to Cilliers the decision to make provision for
an extra Afrikaans class was made to accommodate the successful
applicants that fall within the prescribed guidelines as set out in
the department of education?s acceptance policy.

Acceptance policy

According to these guidelines (in this order) preference will be given
to children who live with their parents, within the natural feeding
area of the school and whose home language is the language of
education at the school; brothers and sisters of children who are
already in the school; children who live within the natural feeding
area of the school and whose chosen language of education is that of
the school; children whose parents are employed within the school's
natural feeding area and whose home language is the language of
education or whose chosen language of education is in line with that
of the school; children with academic potential; children who have
shown the most participation in academics, sport and cultural
activities at their previous schools and children with a record of
good discipline (in the case of transfer from another school).

The names of children, who meet the criteria but who cannot be
accepted due to a lack of space, facilities and other resources must
be placed on a waiting list and will be considered should
circumstances change.

Frustration

Confronted by many unhappy and frustrated parents and bound by these
guidelines, Cilliers says he has written countless letters to the
department, urging them to look into the problem with schools in
Hermanus, but to no avail. He is aware of plans to build another
school in Zwelihle, but says there has been no indication from the
department or the municipality that the lack of schools offering
English first language classes in Hermanus and surrounding towns will
be addressed.

According to Fanie Krige, Overstrand municipality communications
manager, the request for land for educational facilities should come
from the department of education. The department must first identify
and approve the need for land.

It is not only parents from Hermanus, Zwelihle and Hawston that have
been disappointed, says Cilliers, there are parents from Gansbaai and
Stanford who also wanted to enrol their children at the school.

With many names on Hermanus Primary's waiting list, Mt Pleasant
Primary, Hawston Primary and Lukhanyo Primary are not facing the same
dilemma. Some of these schools still have space available. The
principal of Montessori, Bea Miller says most of this year's Gr Rs
will remain at the school and progress to Gr 1, but says they have not
had to show any children away. Pam February from Bosko Christian
church was not willing to divulge whether the school has had a
significant increase in Gr 1 applications for 2008 but did say that if
the public schools are full private schools will benefit.

Lorna Such from Babbel and Krabbel - perceived as the feeding school
of Hermanus Primary - says this year there has been a significant
increase in learners, especially English-speaking learners, who were
not accepted to Gr 1 at Hermanus Primary. Such adds that she has
sympathy with Cilliers and the pressure he is under and says she is
also experiencing a lot of pressure from parents who assumed their
children would be guaranteed a place at the school by placing their
children in Babbel en Krabbel, an assumption Such says they always
warn parents against.

Gert Witbooi, department of education spokesperson says the department
is aware of the school's capacity crisis. According to Witbooi an
official report has been submitted to the department that will now be
handed over to the minister's office. Witbooi is confident that plans
to avoid serious problems in the coming academic year should be in
place before the end of this year.

http://www.news24.com/Regional_Papers/Components/Category_Article_Text_Template/0,2430,486_2229585~E,00.html

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