DBE defends placements at Laerskool Danie Malan amid tensions at Pretoria school
Spokesperson for the Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steve Mabona says the department could not place all pupils seeking space at Laerskool Danie Malan in Pretoria North.
This follows after altercations that took place outside the school on Wednesday, parents demanding space for their children.
"It is not for the very first time this is happening, last year we had the same sistuation whereby parents went outsie calling for end of racxism making all those allegations. but to a certain extent we had to accommodate those we could in terms of the capacity the school has,” says Mabona.
Mabona adds that a satellite site has been established to accommodate pupils.
"Now if we do not have space anymore you will not be in a position to accommodate more learners, what we did was to establish a satelite site which we are finalising just to make sure that we place and it will be operational while we plan for making sure that we build more schools in the area, and we can acknowledge that we need more schools in the area and we will then move quick and make sure that we build schools in the area."
Meanwhile, the EFF’s Gauteng spokesperson Dumisani Baleni says there is continued racism and systematic exclusion of black children from accessing education at the school.
"It is important to note that this school has been in the spotlight for its internal apartheid-like operations, with black children given second-class citizen treatment, crumped up in small classrooms, taking separate breaks, while white Afrikaner children enjoy maximum preferential treatment.
"This school has been hellbent on infusing and perpetuating white supremacy and black inferiority not only at the learning level, but the school governing body also remains a luxury of the few white Afrikaner leadership.”
Baleni says the party wants more classes for pupils doing English as their home language.
"Class allocations must reflect the demographics of the society and be in line with the transformation agenda of the country. There must be an immediate intervention and overhaul of the School Governing Body composition as it has been party to perpetrating and defending racism in the school.
"The body must reflect the society’s complexion and be intentional about eradicating racism and rewriting the apartheid injustices. There must be a closer focus on the school employment policy and companies providing services to the school."
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