Cosatu is opposing proposed closure of schools in the Western Cape(SABC)
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Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Department of Education in the Western Cape have agreed to engage more in future on improvements to education in the province.
Cosatu had forced the province into a Section 77 meeting on the proposed closure of 27 schools. The federation movement’s provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich says the negotiations are about how to ensure that equality is the key cornerstone of education.
He says this will ensure “that black and white, rich and poor kids have the same levels of education so that they can have the same pass rates. We’ve got the provincial government to agree that it is an important principle that we must work towards, but we spoke about the 27 schools that they intend closing, they say there's no forgone conclusion. We'll have discussions on issues that affect the schools.”
The department says the discussions were fruitful. Head of the department Penny Vinjevolt confirms that the provincial Department of Education “will continue to provide quality education for all children. We explained the reasons for our proposals to close schools.
“We explained all the other strategies that we have for improving quality education and we've agreed to go on talking about this over the next few months.”
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy said yesterday that cyber bullying is the latest phenomenon among learners. She said most learners experience bullying via cellphones and social networks. She was speaking at a colloquium on bullying held in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg.
