The lack of Botrivier schools likely to top agenda today. Photo: Jason Boud The lack of Botrivier schools likely to top agenda today. Photo: Jason Boud
Lauren Isaacs
WHEN Botrivier community leaders meet Theewaterskloof municipal officials today to resolve differences following violent service delivery protests on Monday, a lack of schools in the town is likely to be high on the agenda.
Some Botrivier parents say they are struggling to pay to transport their children to schools at least 20km from their community – which they are forced to attend because the town has only one primary school and no high school.
Provincial education department spokesperson Bronagh Casey said according to the department’s records, 173 pupils had to commute from Botrivier to Groenberg Secondary School in Grabouw and Swartberg Secondary School in Caledon.
These schools are two of the closest to the Botrivier community of about 7 000 people.
Casey added that it was normal for primary schools to have Grade 8 and Grade 9 classes. Botrivier Primary has Grades R to 9.
Parents, many unemployed, said they had to pay private taxis or lift clubs between R400 and R500 a month to transport their children to and from school. Those who could not afford it kept their children at home. Diana Micheals, widowed for four years, said she was spending money she could not afford to help her daughter complete matric.
“My daughter is in Grade 9 at Groenberg Secondary. I have to pay school fees of R450 a year and R450 for transport each month. It is so hard. I look after four children and charge their parents R20 a day. But I don’t look after them every day. That is the only income we have.”
She said if there was a high school in the area she would have been able to save R5 400 – the amount she paid to transport her child to school for the year. “I wake up with a weight on my shoulders every morning, but I have to give my daughter an education. Ek sal swaar kry vir haar(I will struggle for her).
Other parents also said Botrivier Primary, a quintile two (no fee) school, was overcrowded.
However principal, John Theron, disagreed.
“We have 620 pupils at our school, 21 teachers and 18 classes from Grade R to Grade 9. I do agree that having Grade 8 and Grade 9 pupils in a primary school is not conducive, and having no high school in this area is unacceptable. But we do not have a problem with overcrowding,” said Theron.
Casey said yesterday that, according to the department’s records, Botrivier had a pupil-classroom ratio of 28.3 to 1. This was below the average.
“There is no overcrowding at Botrivier. There are currently 173 pupils that are being transported from Botrivier to Caledon and Grabouw High Schools. Therefore the demand for a new high school in the area is low,” she said.
The schooling complaint was but one in a memorandum of 30 grievances handed to the municipality by protesting community members on Monday. Residents also complained that there was a lack of water, electricity and housing in the area.
lauren.isaacs@inl.co.za