WCED's Plan to Alleviate Overcrowding in Grabouw Now Underway

Media Statement by Donald Grant, Minister of Education

In order to alleviate overcrowding at Umyezo Wama Apile Combined School, the WCED developed a proposal which included plans to accommodate Grade 11 and 12 learners at an alternative site pending the construction of the temporary satellite campus.

The proposal was offered to the parents of the learners last week. After consulting with the parents of the learners, the school management, educators and School Governing Body, the proposal was adopted and agreed to.

Yesterday, 15 April 2012, over 200 Grade 11 and 12 learners were transported to the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute in Kuilsriver, where they will be taught for the duration of the second term. Learners will receive teaching as per a normal school week from Monday to Friday and return home during the weekends.

The proposed venue has comfortable sleeping accommodation, 24-hour security and sports and recreational facilities. Learners will be provided with three nutritious meals a day.

In order to ensure that these learners have every opportunity to get the best possible results in the end-of-year exams and to catch up on any work that they may have missed due to the disruptions in the first term, the WCED intends to provide an intensive academic programme to the learners concerned which will include quality tuition from experienced educators sourced by the WCED. Three educators from the current school will also be joining the teaching staff at the institute.

The WCED has also appointed an experienced principal to run the Kuilsriver site.

Last night, learners received their timetables and schedules for the term ahead, which includes after-school study sessions.

Their academic programme begins today. We appeal to the public to respect the learners' need for uninterrupted teaching and learning time and that they remain undisturbed during the duration of this programme.

The transfer of learners to this new site will now alleviate the overcrowding at the Umyezo Wama Apile School while the WCED continues to develop the temporary mobile satellite site.

A review of two sites is due to be completed this week, with construction on the new site set to begin as soon as possible.

We are thankful to the parents and the school community for their co-operation. Overcrowding at the school has been a challenge for us. More specifically, the acquisition of land on which to build either a temporary or permanent school has been difficult.

We have managed to alleviate overcrowding, as well as find land for the temporary school.

Our efforts to obtain land to build a new permanent school will however continue. Last week, I and Minister for Public Works and Transport, Robin Carlisle, wrote to the National Minister for Public Works to expedite the transfer of an identified suitable site to the Western Cape.

We will not rest until we acquire the land for the permanent school. This is our ultimate goal.