One of the longest-running primary schools in Vryburg has officially ceased to exist as of 15 December 2023. This comes as part of a nation-wide School Rationalization and Re-alignment Program, an effort by the Department of Basic Education to create a means by which “quality education could be provided in an affordable manner.” This program will see schools that are considered ‘too small’, closed or merged with other schools, in order to redistribute those resources in a more efficient manner.

The 68-year old school, which previously only taught learners from Grade R to Grade 3, will now merge with Vryburg Primary School, also known as Stellaland Primary School, creating one primary school from Grade R to Grade 7. Previously, Stellaland Primary School also only taught learners from Grades 4-7. Both schools are “considered an incomplete school according to the norms and standards of the Department,” says Patrick Metsi, Circuit Manager at the Department of Education in Naledi(Dr. Ruth S. Mompati District). At its closure, the Preparatory school stated in a post on its Facebook page, had 505 learners and 18 teachers, a number that sees it classed as a medium to large school. According to the DBE’s National Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure, schools will now be classified into two Prototypes: Primary and Secondary Schools, the largest of which Primary schools may have a maximum capacity of 930 learners up to 3 classes per grade.

“This move is a long time coming, and renovations have been under way for months now,” he continued, addressing the question of space. The Preparatory School has four classes in each of the four grades, with about 35 learners in each class. “Storage and other rooms have been renovated and converted to classrooms, so we are confident that space will not be an issue moving forward.” Mr Metsi further adds that he believes that this move will help the Department address the matter of long waiting lists for admission. “Look at the rate in which children have been admitted in Stellaland. Clearly, the waiting list has shrunk.” A key contributor to the congestion of waiting lists for school admissions, says another senior member of the Department of Education, is that parents prefer English-medium schools over Setswana and Afrikaans schools, thus concentrating their attention on three schools: Stellaland, Kismet and Tiger Kloof.

To commemorate the end of this chapter, the Preparatory school last year put on a school-wide concert spanning over four days. The children bid their premises farewell in an elaborate and emotional display of song and dance, replete with costumes and fanfare.

Pertaining to the building that was used for the school, Mr Metsi says that discussions will commence in the weeks that follow the publication of this article, however it has been acquired by the Department and will likely be used to establish a new school.

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Some parents have expressed concerns about this move. The overarching sentiment seems to be that the learners have not really had a chance to prepare themselves mentally for “the big school.” Says one parent, “I am scared for my baby girl because there are older learners there so there may be an element of pressure. Honestly, the Preparatory learners are rather young.”

Teaching faculty and support staff from the Preparatory School have largely moved to and merged with Stellaland Primary School. Both schools previously had acting principals until a new principal, Mr Ouboet Schutte, was appointed in October 2023. He will continue as Principal of Stellaland Primary School in 2024.

⁃ Nokuthula Makhoba

⁃ The VIP Team

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