Beacon Valley community leaders demand change in school registration system

Community leaders in Beacon Valley, Mitchell’s Plain, have called for the abolition of the current school registration system or for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to urgently find an alternative, stating that the system has consistently failed working-class families.

Activist and community leader Vanessa Warden highlighted that the online registration system remains a significant challenge, leaving many children unplaced and placing an unbearable burden on already struggling parents.

“The system continues to fail the masses. Many children are still without school placements, and parents are left frustrated and desperate,” Ms Warden said.

She warned that unplaced pupils are at risk of dropping out of school altogether.

“My fear is that these children end up becoming something they never wanted to be,” she said.

Ms Warden said that she and other volunteers have spent weeks driving around trying to find schools for unplaced children.

“We are foot soldiers on the ground. We go from school to school trying to assist parents. It is a struggle. Even those who are placed are often sent far from their communities. With unemployment so high, how are parents expected to cope?” she said.

According to Ms Warden, the system is meant to placepupils within close proximity to their homes, but this is not happening.

“People living below the poverty line are expected to pay transport costs to schools far away. That is simply not fair. Decision-makers do not feel the impact because their children attend well-resourced schools and they can afford transport,” she said.

She called on the provincial education department to intervene urgently and be held accountable. “Parents are frustrated because no one is listening. Schools are oversubscribed, and another issue is that many learners placed in Mitchell’s Plain are from outside the area,” she added.

Safety is also a major concern.

“Children have to walk through gang-infested areas. There are shootings happening all the time.” 

Ms Warden, together with members of her church group, stated that this has become an annual crisis for Beacon Valley families. Pastor Peter van Sensie remarked that the long-term impact is devastating.

“This problem contributes directly to children turning to gangs,” he said.

“Most of our coloured children drop out of school, especially when transitioning to high school. There is no support for them,” Van Sensie said.

He added that scholar transport costs within Mitchell’s Plain can be as high as R270 a week.

“How are parents expected to survive? This is not easy,” he said.

He urged parents not to accept the situation silently while their children suffer.

The Plainsman recently visited the Lentegeur district education offices, where parents were still queuing at the entrance, desperate to secure school placements for their children.

One parent, Arlene Noah, shared her experience, stating that she attempted to register her child at a school of her choice in the area but was told the school was full and only accepting pupils from outside Mitchell’s Plain.

“That was the most ridiculous response I have ever received,” she said. “I was shocked.”

Ms Noah mentioned that her Grade 3 child has since been placed at a school she is unhappy with. “My child does not want to go to school. When does a Grade 3 learner not want to attend school? Something is clearly wrong. As a parent, I did not want his early schooling years to be tarnished,” she expressed.

The Plainsman sent enquiries to the WCED on Friday, January 16, and followed up again on Wednesday, January 21. WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond acknowledged receipt of the enquiry, but no response was received at the time of going to print.

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