Education
With respect to his written reply to question 6 of 29 November 2024 and his comments on a News24 article published on 17 December 2024:
(1) Whether his Department approached the Hoërskool Tulbagh at any stage to propose that it adds English as a language of teaching and learning in 2025; if so, (a) when did his Department or officials approach the school governing board (SGB) and (b) why did his Department approach the SGB to propose that it adds English as a language of teaching and learning;
(2) whether the decision by the SGB was in response to his Department’s request; if not;
(3) whether the SGB proposed to add English as a language of teaching and learning and to make Xhosa a home language and English a first additional language of its own accord; if so, (a) when did the Hoërskool Tulbagh’s SGB decide to add English as a language of teaching and learning in 2025 and (b) when (on what date) did the SGB inform his Department of its decision to add English as a language of teaching and learning in 2025 and to make Xhosa a home language and English a first additional language in the subject package;
(4) whether the SGB informed his Department orally or in writing; (a) if orally, (i) when, (ii) by whom and (iii) to whom was this communicated and (b) if in writing, can a copy of the written communication be made available;
(5) (a) when did his Department communicate with the SGB that it approved or agreed with the decision to add the additional language stream and package and (b) what process did his Department follow after the SGB’s decision in order to fund the provision of the education and other resources required to implement this decision;
(6) whether his Department provided or offered these resources in (5) above; if so, what are the relevant details of the resources provided?
My department has informed me of the following:
(1) (a) The district, via the circuit manager, approached the management
and School Governing Body (SGB) of Tulbagh High School early in
November 2024.
(b) The request to enrol learners at Tulbagh High School was as a result of
serious accommodation challenges at Iingcinga Zethu Secondary
School. The school was unable to accommodate additional learners
in its current structures, and there was no room for expansion. Tulbagh
High School, on the other hand, had 5 unused classrooms at that time.
(2) Yes, the decision by the SGB was in response to the Department’s request.
(3) The SGB agreed to the request from the district, however it must also be
noted that:
(a) The school was already registered as a dual medium school (English
and Afrikaans).
(b) In an SGB meeting on 10 December 2024, the SGB formally agreed to
make Xhosa a home language subject choice and English a first
additional language subject choice at Grade 8 level in 2025.
(4) An ‘Application for increasing or reducing the number of Grades or
subjects, or for changes to language of instruction (Grades R-12)’ was
submitted on 13 December 2024. It was signed by the Principal and the
SGB Chairperson.
The document can be made available through a Promotion of Access to
Information Act (PAIA) application.
(5) (a) The school was informed in December 2024 that the department
supported the decision of the SGB to admit the additional learners
and subsequently add the language stream and package.
(b) The district subsequently appealed to Head Office to approve the
addition of educators to accommodate the growth in learner
numbers and to accommodate the need for English Language of
Learning and Teaching (LOLT). The school was advised to confirm the
number of learners admitted for the English LOLT stream and order the
necessary Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM) according
to the specific need.
(6) The department has provided the required number of educators to the
staff establishment to accommodate the additional learners currently. The
LTSM has been ordered, and delivery is expected by the end of the term.
In the interim, surplus LTSM has been utilised from other schools. Furniture
has also been provided.
