Durban — The IFP has questioned when pupils affected by the floods in KwaZulu-Natal will be placed in schools.
This, after reports suggest that pupils and parents are desperately trying to find placement before schools reopen next week.
IFP KZN Education spokesperson Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa said the party in the KZN legislature was calling on KZN Education MEC Mbali Frazer to clarify how many pupils affected by floods in the province had yet to be placed in schools.
More importantly, when these learners can expect to be placed in schools.
“It is the duty of the KZN MEC for Education to reassure people who were moved from their respective areas due to floods – and who are now staying in other areas with their children – that their children will be placed when KZN schools open next week.
“Education is a right enshrined in the Constitution and these children need to be at school,” Madlopha-Mthethwa said. “No excuses will be tolerated,” she added.
Madlopha-Mthethwa said the IFP demanded answers from Frazer to the following questions:
- How many pupils affected by floods have not yet been placed in schools?
- What has been done to ensure that as schools reopen, these pupils are assured of placement in schools?
- How many schools have been identified to accommodate pupils affected by floods?
- Has scholar transport been organised for the displaced pupils affected by floods? If yes, what are the relevant details; if not, why not?
- When will these pupils be placed in schools?
“As the IFP, we believe that no learner should be denied his or her right to education due to the fact that they were affected by floods. The KZN Department of Education should have made alternative arrangements months ago to ensure that all learners affected by floods would be placed in schools on time.
“Next week is too late. The children – themselves flood victims – need to go to school and build their future. (They shouldn’t) be left hanging, uncertain of where they will attend classes,” Madlopha-Mthethwa said.
She said the ANC government in KZN has neglected flood victims for far too long.
“The spirit of Ubuntu has been lost, and flood victims have been treated poorly. They have been subjected to inhumane treatment and stripped of their dignity. It is unbelievable that there are still people who are staying in community halls,” Madlopha-Mthethwa said.
“Tragically, we believe that if (the) 2024 General Elections were to be held tomorrow, the ANC would be quick to provide flood victims with proper housing under the guise of ‘sympathy, care and delivery of services to the people’ but as no votes are on the line, it has resorted to a ‘don't care’ attitude.”
A flood victim who was recently moved to better accommodation spoke to the Daily News on condition of anonymity and said that there were a lot of them with children who had not been placed, including her.
“They (Department of Education) are arranging for us,” she said.
“We had a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) and we will have a meeting today (Wednesday) about it.”
She added that they were hopeful because the department was updating them regularly.
“They (Department of Education) said that when schools reopen, all children will be in school,” she said.
On Tuesday, KZN Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the Education Department had assisted pupils who were displaced with their parents who were in halls, churches and other places where they placed them last year during the April floods.
“We then made a point that we’ll place them in schools nearby.
“Now that the provincial government has taken them to other places where they’ve placed them as families, our governance directorate head office, together with the district admission committees, are going to trace those learners and place them in new schools (close to) where they are now residing.
“This is an integrated programme or approach by the government of KwaZulu Natal,” Mahlambi said.
Daily News