adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
The government has granted Plumtree High School permission to enrol girls to boost the school’s low enrolment figures. Speaking during his visit to the school, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora said the school will, beginning next year, enrol boarder and day school girls at all levels.He said the school authorities should ensure proper boarding facilities for girls are in place by the end of the year.
The school’s administration led by headmaster, Sipho Kumalo, has since the beginning of the year, been awaiting approval to enrol girls for all the classes. They were early this year granted permission to enrol A-Level girls doing Science subjects but the girls had to be day scholars. “If enrolling girls is what it’ll take to help improve this school then you can go ahead and start enrolling girls.
“The infrastructure at the school shouldn’t just go to waste as is the case now while there are pupils who can utilise it. “By January next year the school should have enrolled many girls and should provide proper boarding facilities for them,” said Dokora. He said most buildings at the school urgently require a facelift.
While many schools are overwhelmed by demand for places, it is different at Plumtree where the school authorities were at one time forced to conduct a road show to attract pupils to the school. Giving the school’s background, Kumalo said the school had 150 day scholars and 152 boarders yet the facilities could accommodate up to 500 boarders.
“A lot of facilities aren’t being used because of low enrolment figures and that’s why we want to enrol girls,” he said. Kumalo said the low enrolment figures were affecting the school’s revenue base which was supposed to assist in developing the school and paying workers. He said the school had good facilities which needed to be maintained.
“The school has a policy of enrolling even those pupils who haven’t excelled academically but are good in sports,” he said.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter