New Age2.png Parents revamp school WCED says the parents are working at their own risk given the state of the buildings Vincent Cruywagen, The New Age, Johannesburg, 2 June 2016 Parents of pupils at Uitzig High School have embarked on an initiative to save the dilapidated school despite calls from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) that the school must close due to the unsafe building. The school was on the brink of being demolished and pupils were to be relocated to Ravensmead High School following a report on the infrastructural condition that the facilities were unsafe for continued occupation, posing an immediate threat to teachers and pupils. COSATU vehemently opposed the closure of the school and last week held a protest with pupils and concerned parents to set aside the decision by the WCED. And at the weekend the WCED, SADTU, the school governing body and all stakeholders met to discuss the contentious matter. The school governing body chairperson Roseline Smith said: “As parents we undertook to repaint the school and replace all broken windows. We have also asked parents who are not working to help with the security at the school to prevent gangsters from entering the premises. We want to provide a safe environment for our pupils.” WCED spokesperson Paddy Attwell said they noted the intention of the parents to keep their children at Uitzig and though they welcomed the initiative of parents to maintain the school, he said they were working at their own risk, given the state of the buildings. The WCED was now seeking legal advice on whether it can be held responsible for their health and safety. One of the parents, Sharon Koeberg, said the move to demolish the school at this critical stage of the June exams, would have been a horrendous error. This would also place pupils under unnecessary stress. “I’m painting this school to make it safe and beautiful to secure a future not just for my children but for others in the area. This school has a great and proud history that we want to preserve and build on. This is our small contribution to our children’s education.” COSATU provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich again rejected the closure of the school saying that the MEC for education, Debbie Schäfer, should focus on the issue which was the pupils’ education. He reiterated that these pupils deserved the same education as the white pupils in the old model C schools. In response, Attwell, said the department’s primary concern had always been the safety of the pupils and staff and that their engineers had reported that the roof was dangerous. This includes the dilapidated state of the asbestos roof covering, including gutters and pipes and associated damages to the roof. “Unfortunately, the roof and ablution facilities are the main concern and require considerable investment despite previous repairs in 2014. Ravensmead High School has agreed to accommodate the pupils from Uitzig while they write their June exams. “The school has prepared classrooms for the Uitzig pupils and meanwhile, a quantity surveyor is assessing what may be needed to repair the school,” Attwell said. <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] From: <http://tnaepaper.co.za/DRIVE/main%20edition/02062016/epaperpdf/6.pdf> http://tnaepaper.co.za/DRIVE/main%20edition/02062016/epaperpdf/6.pdf -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
