South Africa is abandoning its schools

by time news

In recent years, several public schools in Soweto [township situé à 15 kilomètres au sud-ouest de Johannesburg, dans la province du Gauteng] have closed their doors. Very rarely consulted beforehand, the population of this South African township has often taken the initiative to give a second life to abandoned buildings.

It’s hard to believe that these schools were once the gems of their neighborhood when some now serve as haunts for drug addicts at night and gathering places for religious events by day.

Many of these establishments are falling into disrepair. Victims of the ravages of time and lack of maintenance, most of them are vandalized or unusable. “The closure of schools is explained by the low number of enrolments, which was much lower than the average rate of other establishments”, defends Elijah Mhlanga, spokesman for the Ministry of Education.

According to the Gauteng Provincial Department of Education [province située dans le nord du pays]school closures are attributable to three reasons: the reduction in the number of pupils, the classes at several levels where teaching and learning were compromised, or the location of schools on agricultural land in rural areas.

Converted premises

Many initiatives of residents have therefore emerged after the closure of schools. Among them, business start-ups, daycare services, religious gatherings, gardening workshops and even detoxification centres.

The business of Ashley Matuneng, a young tailor based in the premises of the former Matubeng primary school [à Soweto], is an example. If the Sowetien did not wish to answer our questions during our visit, he nevertheless claims to have been managing his activities in the establishment for four years.

However, not all schools had the same fate. That of Tirisano – whose students and teaching staff were redirected to the neighboring school of Sekwati after the merger of the two establishments – was looted by thugs before being demolished in early 2019.

Codified procedure

Steve Mabona, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Education, describes the process for closing public schools: “On the one hand, schools closed in the past have been returned to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development as all buildings are its property. On the other hand, our policy stipulates that, when the management of a school decides to close its establishment, the [conseil d’administration de l’école] organizes a meeting whose agenda, minutes and attendance records must be kept.”

“All parents must come to a consensus and a neighborhood meeting, previously advertised in the local newspaper, must be held to discuss the reasons for the eco’s closure or intention to close.

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