Severe overcrowding in Kempton Park schools yet GED fails to build a new school for Birch Acres
by Cllr Ilaria di Siena — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 23 June 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni shares the frustration of many parents who continue to wait for the Birch Acres Extension Primary School to be built.
The construction of the school was expected to be completed by January 2019. Two and a half years later and the building is once again at a standstill. As the DA, we are concerned about the issue of overcrowding of schools in the Kempton Park area and surrounds.
Originally the budget allocated for the construction of the 1 200-learner school was R69 364 000, when it was approved in November 2017, however to date there is no progress with regards to the construction of the school.
In 2018, we as the DA began questioning the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) over the lack of progress and we were informed that “the building of Birch Acres Extension Primary School had been postponed due to a ‘constrained fiscal environment’”.
The department has now resorted to transporting children from all over to the few existing and already overcrowded schools as a ‘quick fix’ to pull the wool over parents’ eyes as a solution.
Worryingly there are no new schools being built in the near future, despite the population of the area drastically increasing.
The DA will write to the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi to ascertain the progress with regards to the construction of the new school and what measures are being put in place to reduce overcrowding in nearby schools in the area.
Sadly, midway through 2021 and there has been no progress on this vitally needed project.
Overcrowding in classrooms has a huge negative impact on teachers delivering quality education as the environment will not be conducive for learning and teaching.
Quality education is vital for our children, who are the future of this country. It is time that the needs of our children are being prioritised.
Cllr Ilaria di Siena
DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni
