Residents at Bloekombos in Kraaifontein have gathered at Masibambane Secondary School demanding that their children be enrolled at the school.
The learners were allegedly excluded from two schools in the area due to a lack of space.
The concerned parents are worried their children will never make it to school this year. They also do not want to send their children to schools outside the area.
The parents are now calling on the Western Cape Education Department to build another high school in Kraaifontein.
Resident Dibuseng Makhaba says the problem is children are not accepted because schools are full.
“The problem is that they are not accepted. They said the schools are full. So, if schools are full, how can the schools be full but our children are outside. The kids who are studying in these primary schools in this community … who are those kids?”
Spokesperson for the Kraaifontein Development Forum, Sphiwe Saki says a solution has to be found on the impasse. “Our concern is that we need the kids. They must be in the class that’s all what we want.”
The Western Cape Education Department says it will continue to engage with residents to accept a proposal for enrolling their children at alternative schools.
Department Spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, says, “The schools have reached capacity, therefore, cannot place the 64 Grade 8 learners that require placement. One cannot simply shut down schools and demand new ones to be built. The parents have been afforded accommodation at an alternative school, but have rejected this offer. We are again appealing to parents to apply during an applying period as this allows us to plan better. Many of the learners on this list are late applications.”
Hammond says shutting the schools is not the answer.
