Equal Education (EE) has written an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Basic Education Minister and the Finance Minister requesting that the government fund public schools.
Equal Education says there is a need for the government to fix and fund public schools to help close the equality gap in education.
The letter also highlights the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the progress of learning across South Africa.
Equal Education’s Chwayita Wenana says they are concerned that the inequality gap is widening as children from public schools are to begin their 2021 academic year later than those enrolled in private schools.
Wenana says, “We have been demanding that the government fund public schools and fix them, but they have been lagging on that while private schools are opening their gates, public schools are having to watch from the side-lines.”
“There are no plans for the next two weeks on what they should be doing, there is no learning programme for them now and support that they are getting, they are being left behind. They are unable to open because it is unsafe for them and it is being made unsafe for them because of the continuous defunding and under-resourcing,” says Wenana.
Fix & fund public schools: Equal Education
Edu should be a right, but in SA it’s a privilege! The right to edu for public school learners must not be limited randomly because of COVID-19 responses – any limitation must be reasonable & clearly justified. #LevelTheField #DontLeaveMeBehind
Novuyisile, WC Parent member pic.twitter.com/A8nXjmCgub
FIX AND FUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CLOSE THE WIDENING EQUALITY GAP OPEN LETTER:
