SADTU/Equal Education court action opposes access to quality education

Today, SADTU/Equal Education will be in the Western Cape High Court to challenge the Western Cape’s collaboration schools model, which makes high quality no-fee education available to over 12 300 learners in poor communities.

When the action was instituted, our collaboration schools were just getting off the ground. Since then, the model has produced excellent results, with learners having access to incredible learning opportunities.

Our collaboration school donors have contributed to the value of over R325 million to our schools to date, a contribution to our education sector that might otherwise not have been made. Of the schools using the model, 10 are new schools, offering over 8 300 no-fee school places to learners.

We are generally seeing a positive trend in systemic test and matric results at these schools, but this is not the only reason the model is valuable. Learners at collaboration schools also benefit from access to opportunities made possible by the involvement of operating partners.

The involvement of operating partners allows additional resources to be brought in, like career guidance counsellors and mentors, partnerships with non-governmental organisations promoting the mental health and wellbeing of learners, resources for remedial education, teacher training, support for the school’s financial management, and other interventions to support teaching and learning.

The model has also allowed communities to become more involved in establishing schools that serve the unique needs of their community. This kind of direct parental involvement can only benefit our education system, and our learners.

One need only look at collaboration schools like Apex High School, Jakes Gerwel Technical High School, and Boundary Primary School, to see the benefits that the model offers.

So it is unfortunate that organisations like SADTU/Equal Education are challenging the validity of our collaboration schools model, which make makes high quality no-fee education available to learners in poor communities in the Western Cape.