Crowthorne Christian Academy learners must be placed urgently to avoid losing valuable learning time

22 August 2023

Crowthorne Christian Academy learners in Midrand are now stranded as there is no clear indication of where they will be placed. This comes after the school was shut down by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) due to noncompliance with independent school registration requirements.

The DA is concerned about illegal and unregistered schools operating in Gauteng. There are safety and quality concerns for learners attending unregistered schools. The department must ensure that inspectors do their job and ensure compliance with standards set for all independent schools across the province.

The recent incident involving a child assaulted for her appearance at Crowthorne Christian Academy serves as a reminder of the urgent need for the department to ensure that all schools are registered to operate.

The DA believes that there is a need to have more independent schools; however, all independent schools must be legal and meet set standards to register.

The DA demands that the Gauteng Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, urgently place all learners from Crowthorne Christian Academy to ensure that they don’t lose out on much-needed school time. All children of school-going age must be allowed to learn in a conducive environment.

Furthermore, we will table questions to MEC Chiloane to ascertain the processes that must be followed to register and operate an independent school. The department must regularly share information about all registered independent schools in Gauteng.

Issued by Sergio Dos Santos, DA Spokesperson for Education, 22 August 2023