Johannesburg – THE DA in Gauteng has asked the MEC for Education Matome Chiloane to find a suitable school for learners of Crowthorne Christian Academy.
The learners in Midrand were now stranded as there was no clear indication of where they would be placed.
This comes after the school was shut down by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) due to non-compliance with independent school registration requirements.
DA Gauteng education spokesperson Sergio dos Santos said his party was concerned about illegal and unregistered schools operating in Gauteng.
“There are safety and quality concerns for learners attending unregistered schools. The department must ensure that inspectors do their job and ensure compliance with standards set for all independent schools across the province.
“The recent incident involving a child assaulted for her appearance at Crowthorne Christian Academy serves as a reminder of the urgent need for the department to ensure that all schools are registered to operate.”
He said the DA believes that there was a need to have more independent schools, however, all independent schools must be legal and meet set standards to register.
“The DA demands that the Gauteng Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, urgently place all learners from Crowthorne Christian Academy to ensure that they don’t lose out on much-needed school time. All children of school-going age must be allowed to learn in a conducive environment,” he said.
Dos Santos said they would table questions to MEC Chiloane to ascertain the processes that must be followed to register and operate an independent school.
“The department must regularly share information about all registered independent schools in Gauteng,” he said.