KwaZulu-Natal: 900 rural schools are facing closure

The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal reportedly plans to close down over 900 rural schools.

SABC News reports that a KZN Department of Education team visited the province on 5 May 2023.

The visit was to monitor the improvement of education in KwaZulu-Natal.

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KZN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PLANS TO CLOSE 900 SCHOOLS

Low enrollment rates have been cited as one of the reasons behind the planned closure of 900 schools.

However, most of the affected KwaZulu-Natal schools are in rural communities, and from next year, the department will effect the move.

The closure of more than 250 schools is expected to be rolled out next year.

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The department announced that it would be closing schools systematically, starting with those with the lowest enrollment.

Head of department Nkosinathi Ngcobo said: “We are looking at progressively closing the small schools. Currently there are over 900 such schools in the province, starting with those with the lowest enrolment or those which are furthest from the threshold, let say of 135 and 200.

For example, in this financial year, the schools we are targeting have an enrolment of zero already and those are the schools that have closed naturally simply because there is no single learner.”

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IFP BLAMES THE GOVERNMENT OVER KZN SITUATION

However, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) MPL, Mntomuhle Khawula, took a swipe at the government for failing marginalised schools by sidelining them in resource distribution.

Khawula has it that the declining numbers of learners enrolment at schools is being caused by the government’s failure to resource them adequately.

However, this is not the first time the news has made rounds. In 2013, it was reported that more than 1000 schools faced closure.

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This article was originally published by Leeroy Mukotekwa.