Following reports that emerged about Wisdom English Private School operating illegally, Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has taken steps to shut down the unregistered school in Ivory Park, Midrand on Thursday.
The MEC is currently at the school alongside the South African Police Service (SAPS), with the authorities arresting staff members who could not produce passports or permits to prove that they were allowed to teach in South Africa.
Among the eight people arrested include the school’s head, two female teachers and a security guard.
Lesufi is also set to close down other unregistered schools in the area.
@Lesufi closes illegal schools in #IvoryPark pic.twitter.com/omN5OR0UwT
— Sonri Naidoo (@SonriNaidoo) October 8, 2020
@SAPoliceService arresting teachers who cannot produce passports or documents which show they are able to teach. pic.twitter.com/AFNi5G0iWn
— Sonri Naidoo (@SonriNaidoo) October 8, 2020
Some of the reasons for the shutdown of the illegal schools is due to lawlessness, overcrowding, no building assessment, failure of fire hydrant signs, teachers in possession of illegal documents both for teaching and being in the country.
Nine arrests have been made so far. pic.twitter.com/LaIbN4mImL— Sonri Naidoo (@SonriNaidoo) October 8, 2020
In a similar shutdown operation in 2018, the Gauteng department of education officials were denied entry at the Centauri Dual Medium Private High School in Centurion which they intended to shut down for operating illegally.
The officials were then prompted to go to the Wierdabrug police station, to open a case of a school illegally operating.
Steve Mabona, Gauteng education spokesperson said the operational registration of the school was withdrawn by the department in April 2018 for non-adherence to the post-registration requirements.
Mabona furtehr said “However, the school ignored the correspondence and continued to operate”.
He added that “Among others, the school contravened the curriculum policy, multi-grade teaching is a norm, disregard of assessment and examination processes, utilisation of unqualified teachers without Sace (South African Council for Educators) certificates, a timetable not CAPS complaint, and learner tasks not CAPS complaint.”