WESTERN CAPE NEWS - The Western Cape Education Department has defended its intentions to close almost 30 schools across the province, several of them in the Eden district.

Education MEC, Donald Grant, says under law, his department is permitted to shut down schools, citing various reasons, such as dwindling learner numbers and under-performance.
The South African Schools Act does make provision for the closing or merging of learning institutions for the following reasons:

• Low pupil numbers
• Inadequate curriculum choices
• Inaccessibility of schools
• Poor infrastructure
• Difficulty in attracting/retaining educators

Union enraged
But the MEC's move has upset members of the teachers union, SADTU, which has called for Grant to be sacked. The union said the reasons cited for shutting down the 27 schools are not educationally sound.

SADTU Western Cape secretary, Jonavon Rustin, has called for a meeting with department officials adding the union was never consulted over the plan. Rustin said poor learner performance is not a good enough reason to close down a school. He added, "The district officials should be called to account."

But the WCED insists the aim of closing down many of the institutions 'was to improve the quality of education'.

ARTICLE: REGAN THAW