Statement by Yousuf Gabru, MEC for Education in the Western Cape

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has advertised for a principal to head the new Gansbaai Secondary School, due to open later this year.

The post will be a contract post from 21 January to 30 June 2009. The principal's duties will include working with the WCED and the interim School Governing Body to prepare for the opening of the school in July this year.

Officials of the WCED's Overberg Education District are working closely with local primary schools and the community to prepare for the opening.

They have convened the interim SGB, comprising principals and SGB chairs of Gansbaai Laerskool, Gansbaai Primary School and Masakhane Primary School. Members also include district officials, led by the Circuit Team Manager, Wendy Colyn.

The interim SGB met on 11 December 2008 and agreed on inviting the principals and SGBs of Okkie Smuts Laerskool and Die Bron Primary School to join the SGB as well.

The schools represented on the SGB will be feeder schools for the new secondary school. Each of the schools will also elect a senior phase teacher to serve on the interim SGB. The body will invite other role players to share their expertise.

Gansbaai Secondary will start by offering Grades 8 and 9 in the third term this year. The feeder schools will organise their programmes to continue offering these grades until the end of the second term.

District officials have worked closely with the schools and the affected communities to decide on focus areas of the curriculum to be offered by the school for Grades 10 to 12, in addition to compulsory subjects.

Community members have called for Hospitality Studies, Business Studies and Maritime Studies. Compulsory subjects include languages, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, and Life Orientation. Plans include building a special kitchen to support the Hospitality Studies programme.

The school will have to offer all three official languages of the Western Cape (Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa) as home languages and as first additional languages.

Officials will work with the affected schools and to identify teachers who could transfer to the new school, after consultation. Other posts will be advertised, in line with policy.

The district office is working with the WCED's head office on financing models, in consultation with the affected schools.

The interim SGB is considering a variety of approaches to involving the community and all concerned in preparations for the opening of the new school.

This includes a proposal to bring members of the Representative Councils of Learners (RCLs) of the three main schools involved, possibly at a camp, to get to know one another and to discuss how they can contribute to building the new school community.

The new school will meet a long standing need for a new high school and will contribute significantly to improving access to quality education in the region.

For enquiries, contact Millicent Merton:  072 724 1422 or mmerton@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za

The Western Cape - A Home for All
INtshona Koloni - iKhaya loMntu wonke
Die Wes-Kaap - 'n Tuiste vir Almal