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Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Gavin Edwards MPL. Following weeks of chaos, vandalism and abductions at the Boons Mega Farm School, the Naauwpoort Farm School and the Tirelong Secondary School in the Rustenburg area, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the North West conducted an oversight inspection yesterday to see for ourselves what the issues are. Although the situation at the Boons Mega Farm School was calm and teaching and learning was taking place, our oversight inspection uncovered issues that raises more questions than providing answers. What became abundantly clear is that the North West Department of Education must launch a targeted investigation to provide clarity on the situation at the schools in question. I will engage the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Education to arrange an urgent meeting with the Department to get to the bottom of this matter. The Department claimed to have opened a case of malicious damage to property and abduction, while the police indicated that they have no record of a case of abduction. The school did not resemble a crime scene at all. While criminal elements may well be at play, the Department itself stated that learners broke themselves out of the hostel and left the school on bakkies. By 12:30 yesterday, all but 17 learners had freely returned to the school, with the Department arranging transport for the remaining learners to return. The Tirelong Secondary School has been vandalized at least five times previously, with the latest damage rendering the school unusable. Had the Department ensured the safety of this public asset, none of the recent events at the Boons Mega Farm School and the Naaupoort Farm school would have happened. The Department must provide clarity whether learners are attending the alternative schools out of their own choice, or if they have been forced to stay in the hostels. Of greater concern is the fact that parents and learners have been promised the construction of a new school in the area for the last 3 years, with no progress on the project. The information released by the Department on the “abduction of learners” simply does not add up. The Department of Education must account for the state of the Tirelong School and how the school has been left unprotected, dilapidated, and now rendered unserviceable. The Department must also explain why there has been no progress on the building of a new school in the area. The DA is extremely concerned that politics has now become the order of the day within the education system while criminality is now impacting on the education of learners. The DA’s Spokesperson on Community Safety, Freddy Sonakile MPL, will also monitor the progress on the criminal investigations into these activities. Those responsible for the destruction of the Tirelong School must be identified and be brought to book. This incident and many others like these, place the spotlight firmly on safety at rural schools. The Department must invest in measures to improve the safety and security of learners and teachers by ensuring quality fencing, CCTV cameras and school guards at all schools. A large number of rural schools across the North West are in dire need of maintenance and repairs. The future of our province and country lies in the hands of children and the DA will not stand on the side-line while the ANC destroys their future through a broken education system. |