The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has monitored the affects of the floods on schools in rural areas closely this week.

The rains affected schools mainly in the southern Cape around George and to some extent in the Breede River/Overberg district.

Principals and our circuit managers responded pro-actively to ensure the safety of learners. The WCED will work closely with schools to repair any damage caused by the floods.

Twenty-one rural schools in the southern Cape closed for the day on Wednesday (2 August 2006) because of flooding of roads and river crossings.

School attendance in many other schools was down to between 20% and 50%. Some schools closed early because learners arrived wet and because of low attendance.

The Craggs Primary School east of Plettenberg Bay accommodated 10 learners overnight because they could not return home, following the collapse of a bridge due to the floods. The school informed the parents of the position.

Flooded roads prevented WCED bus transport from reaching from many schools in the southern Cape over the past few days. As a result, about 4 500 learners returned home.

The areas affected included Plettenberg Bay, The Craggs, Knysna, George, Grootbrak, Mossel Bay, Riversdal, Heidelberg, Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn, Dysseldorp, De Rust, Prince Albert, Beaufort West, Uniondale and Haarlem.

Rain damaged sections of the roof at Fezekile Secondary School in Oudtshoorn. As a result, the school could not use three classrooms for teaching purposes. New Dawn Primary in New Dawn Park, southern Cape, reported leaking roofs in three classrooms.

Qhayiya Secondary School in Hermanus reported that the school grounds, hall and some classrooms were flooded. Overhex Primary in the Worcester district reported flooding in the schools grounds. The schools did not report damage to school buildings.

"We are grateful to our principals, teachers and officials for responding proactively to the floods. While we have mainly lost teaching time, we are thankful that there has been no reported injuries or loss of life among our learners or staff."