The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) replied as follows to questions from the People's Post on the future of the Monterey pre-primary school in Diep River.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has to give priority to public schooling. Our ability to assist a private school such as Monterey is therefore limited.

The provincial government has given Monterey two years' notice, and we urgently need the space to accommodate the Glendale special school which serves severely handicapped learners.

Glendale has been occupying private property leased by the state. The premises are no longer suitable. The school is accommodating more than 90 learners in space designed for 35, with more than 30 on the waiting list.

The school desperately needs alternative accommodation in the southern suburbs and the property in Diep River, which belongs to the state, is the most suitable.

The WCED does not own land and Monterey is welcome to discuss the matter further with the Department of Public Works and Transport, the custodian of state land in the province.

We do appreciate the service that Monterey has provided over the years, and we will provide whatever support we can to finding alternative accommodation.

The Department of Public Works and Transport originally gave Monterey a year's notice, and extended this by another year by agreement with the school.

Our two departments will support any applications made by Monterey to rezone land if necessary, to accommodate the school, although we cannot guarantee the outcome of any rezoning application.

The school will require some minor modification to accommodate the physical needs of the Glendale learners, among other infrastructural changes. Glendale will move in as soon as possible after the completion of this building work.

In terms of our agreement with Monterey, the pre-primary school is scheduled to leave the premises on 31 December 2008.