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- Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has closed two illegal schools in Johannesburg.
- They were found to be operating without the correct paperwork.
- Wisdom English Private School and True Grace Christian School were found to be illegal upon inspection.
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says that an application to start a school does not amount to a permit to start operating, after having to close two illegal schools in Johannesburg.
“You apply, wait, and then get a temporary permit or a permanent permit. They acknowledge that they have no document that allows them to operate and then the question is, why operate the school?” told the media outside of an illegal school on Thursday.
This after Lesufi, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, visited Wisdom English Private School in Ivory Park and True Grace Christian School in Ebony Park, Johannesburg.
“The purpose of this visit was to verify the allegations that the aforementioned schools were operating illegally. In fact, both schools were declared illegal because they are not registered with the Gauteng education department,” said his spokesman, Steve Mabona, in a statement on Thursday.
READ: ‘Looks like a hectic year ahead’: Panyaza Lesufi answers 10 questions as schools mark one month from opening
Upon inspection, the department discovered that Wisdom was operating at four different locations in Ivory Park.
Additionally, some teachers did not produce legal identification documents and South African Council of Educators (SACE) compliant documents required to teach in schools.
Police station
As a result, some teachers and principals from both schools were brought to the police station for questioning.
Lesufi gave officials 48 hours to provide him with the information necessary to make an informed decision on the way forward.
“However, it should be mentioned that he was unhappy with conditions that are not conducive to teaching and learning at both schools. It is sad and disappointing to indicate that True Grace Christian School was among the schools that closed in 2019.
“Unfortunately, they multiplied at a new location that was supposedly built two weeks ago,” Mabona said.
Department officials have started a process to find the location of students who were affected by the school closings on Thursday.
“The necessary commitments will be facilitated with all affected parents to guide our intervention,” he added.
