A group of Plettenberg Bay parents claim they have been sent from pillar to post in trying to find placement for their children in schools in the coastal town.
Community activist Trevor Mapitiza compiled a list containing the names of 25 pupils who are yet to find placement and has been liaising with the education department on behalf of the parents since January.
Mapitiza said the issue centred on a schools shortage in Plettenberg Bay which needed to be addressed.
However, department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the issue was as a result of late transfer applications being submitted by the affected parents.
Mapitiza said he had reported the matter to the education department on January 18 and was given 10 days to respond.
“Ten days lapsed and nothing was forthcoming from them.
“Then we went to the school [Murray High School] to get placement and the school showed us they were at nearly 200% capacity,” he said.
A source at the school said it had 1,744 pupils, but had capacity for only 900.
“The school is still waiting for 18 more classes to fall into the department’s ratio,” he said.
Murray High School principal George Matywatywa referred all questions to the education department.
While some parents acknowledged they had applied late for transfer, they said the situations leading to the transfer were due to unforeseen circumstances.
One of the affected parents, Thembinkosi Mongolo, said his child, Sithule Qwazi, who is meant to start grade 8, had moved to the town from Gqeberha recently after his grandmother fell ill.
Mongolo has been unable to find a school for his son.
“He is at home waiting for a miracle,” he said.
Hammond said the district had managed to place all pupils who had applied in 2021 for the 2022 school year.
“The pupils referred to [on the list] made inquiries about placement this year.
“This is extremely difficult to manage as it does not afford the department the opportunity to plan, budget or address in advance,” she said.
“The department experiences an influx of about 18,000 pupils from the Eastern Cape alone each year, which requires the building of 18 new schools each year.
“The department does not have the funding to keep up with this growth and as a result this puts pressure on our system.”
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