The new technical high school to accommodate grades eight and nine learners officially opened in Lwandle on Wednesday 18 January.
For now, learners will be taught in 10 mobile classrooms. The mobile classrooms will have two administrators, a staff room, two ablution facilities, a feeding kitchen and three storage containers.
When completed the technical school will be a brick-and-mortar structure, which is currently in design.
Bronagh Hammond, Director of Communication at Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said: “The WCED is prioritising skills development for the future. Technical skills are valued and needed skills in terms of the Western Cape Economy, and therefore, the WCED is expanding skills development opportunities for Lwandle community.”
She added that the department was placing mobiles on site as an interim measure.
Hammond said the learners in the mobiles would be accommodated in the new premises once construction was complete.
“Mobile classes are being put up on site to accommodate the immediate need, while the brick-and-mortar school is still in design. The school will house Grade 8 and 9 learners this year,” she said.
Hammond said the brick-and-mortar technical high school would accommodate 1 400 learners.
Ward 86 councillor, Xolani Diniso, said there were many “unplaced learners” last year and the new school would also cater to them. “As things stand we have 677 grade eight learners, and 22 grade nine learners of this new school. As the leader of this community I will work together with the department of education to ensure that everything here runs smoothly,” he said.
Diniso said their primary objective was to see every child at school and not wander on the streets of Lwandle due to the lack of school places.
Lwandle, combined with Nomzamo has three high schools namely, Khanyolwethu Secondary School, Nomzamo High School and Simanyene Secondary School.
The area has seven primary schools which are a feeder to the three high schools which made it impossible for them to accommodate all learners.