Fransman dishonest about proposed school closures
With sensationalist and inaccurate statements, Marius Fransman is trying to incite and fool the people of this province.
The Minister of Education in the Western Cape, Donald Grant, announced unequivocally this week that every parent, learner, educator and community member will have the opportunity to voice their view on the proposed school closures and that he will make no final decision without taking each and every one of these concerns into account.
Not only does Fransman conveniently ignore this announcement, he also continues to accuse the minister as well as the DA of being flippant about the issue. Fransman talks nonsense. And he's doing it in order to score political points and to divert the attention of the media and the public away from the ANC's failure to deliver textbooks in Limpopo.
Fransman knows very well that the majority of schools considered for closure are in rural districts. Most of these schools have to rely on multi-grade teaching while much better options are available. He also knows that only seven of the schools are in urban areas and three are primary schools with declining numbers where learners can attend neighbouring schools.
These are the facts that Fransman never mentions.
School closures are also not unique to the Western Cape. Decisions to close schools have been made by the ANC in their thousands. The closure of non-viable schools, coupled with the expansion and improvement of school infrastructure, provide provincial education departments with the opportunity to adapt the schooling system to the changing needs of our communities.
Fransman selectively overlooks the initiatives that the Western Cape Government has developed and is implementing to improve the safety of our learners and the security of our schools for the sake of scoring cheap political points. His political grandstanding has become tiresome.
The amount of time and energy that Marius Fransman invests in this transparent and dangerous campaign, makes one wonder if and when he has the time to spend in his office as Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation? I challenge him to answer this question and also reveal what he has achieved in his portfolio up to date?
Mnr. Fransman busies himself with inciting suspicion and spreading inaccuracies while the taxpayer pays his salary. This while the DA works unabated to manage a challenging process in a legitimate and responsible manner.
Statement issued by Theuns Botha, Leader of the DA in the Western Cape, July 20 2012
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