Schools plan attacked

While DA leader Helen Zille was addressing students at the University of Cape Town on education as a form of redress, Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman said plans to close down 27 schools in the province would perpetuate inequality.

The ANC will take the matter to the Constitutional Court, challenging the criteria used by the provincial education department to close the schools.

But Zille said that closing schools that were not serving pupils properly would give the children better opportunities elsewhere.

"Many of those schools have very few children and one teacher teaching several grades, which is not in the interests of pupils' education because they can't get through the curriculum," said Zille.

She also blamed school management which refused to "come right". There were schools nearby that could take in children whose schools were closed.

"We haven't taken the decision yet . we're in the process of consultation. But every decision that we take will be in the best interests, the educational interests, of the children involved," said Zille.

Fransman said: "Many schools have been closed. [The DA] must explain what it did to make sure that those kids get the same opportunities as everyone else."

Fransman says the DA, since taking power in 2009, had failed to tackle apartheid's legacy.

Instead of helping schools in poorer areas, Fransman said the provincial education department encouraged better-performing pupils to leave these schools and move to established, formerly white schools.

"You can do it for one or two individuals, but you can't do it for the baseline pupil, meaning that you don't change the quality education at the school, you, in fact, entrench the problem," said Fransman.

Retired Anglican archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane and Fransman yesterday launched a 100000 signature campaign against the school closures .