Western Cape Eds Minister considers proposals on school closures

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The Western Cape Education Department says the public participation process for the proposed school closures has ended.

The Department says all written and oral submissions will be included in the record that is being prepared for Education Minister, Donald Grant, before he makes his final decision.

Grant came under fire from the ANC and its alliance partners in the Western Cape when he announced the proposed closure of 27 schools.

Western Cape Education Ministry spokesperson, Bronagh Casey, says Grant has taken and will continue to take the issue of school closures very seriously.

She says Grant "has welcomed as many views on the proposed school closures as possible and has undertaken to consider these carefully before he makes his final decision in each case."

"To assist the Minister in making the best decision possible in each case, the Minister will carefully consider the following:
"all representations made by the school governing body concerned;
"all written and oral representations made by members of the public who attended and made representations at the relevant public hearing; and
"all representations from members of the public received over and above the prescribed public participation process."

Casey says the Minister has allocated sufficient time to ensure that he is in a position to consider all representations made before he makes his final decision in each case.

"The Minister will consider each and every representation made to him in relation to the proposed school closures and make his final decisions with restraint and taking into account the interests of all concerned, particularly the children."

"The Minister is expected to make his final decision in each case by the end of September/ beginning of October," she concluded.