W Cape schools take strain as kids flood in

Bronagh Casey, spokesman for education MEC Donald Grant, referring to statistics that showed 13000 additional pupils had enrolled at Western Cape schools at the beginning of the year - said initial indications were that most of them were from Eastern Cape

"This year, the department will be conducting specific research into inward migration to Western Cape in order to plan more effectively for the year ahead," Casey said.

Casey said that though there were some good schools in Eastern Cape, there were greater education opportunities in Western Cape.

The 2011 matric pass rate was a good indicator of that assessment, she added.

Western Cape had a 82.9% pass rate, whereas Eastern Cape achieved a matric pass rate of only 58.1% last year.

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille came under fire from the ANC earlier this week for referring on Twitter to Eastern Cape pupils who attended schools in her province as "refugees".

Her comments followed this week's violent flare-ups at a school in Grabouw, which is bursting at the seams.

Casey said the school had to deal with 600 new enrolments at the beginning of the year, something they could not anticipate.

"Parents marched into the school and put their children in the classrooms," she said.

The ANC has demanded that Zille retract her statement.

"It is unbecoming of a public figure, such as a premier, to uncaringly call a segment of people in this province - in this instance, blacks originating from Eastern Cape - 'refugees' because it is also in breach of their general human rights as South African citizens, and especially the right to choose where to stay and of association," said ANC provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile yesterday.

Zille said on Wednesday that the ANC was diverting attention from the real issue - that children cannot get quality education in most ANC-run provinces.

"When people have to move to secure their most basic rights, they are not exercising a free choice - they are either effectively held hostage to poor education in Sadtu-run schools, or they can flee this untenable situation," Zille said.

Zille said education in Eastern Cape was in a worse state today than under the "abominable system of apartheid".

At a Human Rights Day march in Port Elizabeth, Zille said education was a ladder out of poverty.

She used 2011 matriculant Lukhanyo Velelo, from Sinenjongo High School, in Joe Slovo Park, as an example. He achieved distinctions in mathematics, physical science, computer application technology, life sciences and life orientation.

"He is from a poor family from Eastern Cape but did not let this dishearten him and managed to achieve academically in Western Cape," said Zille.

Doron Isaacs, coordinator of the NGO Equal Education, said the quality of education in Western Cape was "much better" than in Eastern Cape.

Though there had been an increase in enrolments this year, he said enrolments over the past five years had remained "fairly constant".

"But if you look at places like Khayelitsha, which is realistically where migrants from Eastern Cape are going to, the quality of education there is really not much better than in Eastern Cape," said Isaacs.

TWITTER COMMENTS

ZILLE says on Twitter:

"FOR the record the term 'refugee' is also used for people who 'have been forced to migrate within their home countries'." #ifthecapfitswearit

"@NomalangaSA What manipulative twisted abuse of my words. The ANC treats black people as non-citizens judging by non-education in ECape."

"@hlongwane100 The ANC runs ECape worse than a bantustan. That is why ppl have to flee to get their basic rights like education."

"@thulimnyanda if they had to leave a place where their basic rights were denied, I call them refugees, whatever colour. My own parents were."

"E Cape and Limpopo have a governance problem - corruption and total collapse. They steal the money, WCape delivers the service."

"@Josh_Niss we are SOLVING the problem at hand by building a new school. It would help if students stopped burning down classrooms."

"@vuyisaq while E Cape education has COLLAPSED, the W Cape has built 30 schools in 2 years to accommodate ECape education refugees. Vuka!!"

"@chiefntshingila refugees are ppl who have to escape because their rights are VIOLATED. That describes E Cape pupils EXACTLY."