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22 January 2008

I am pleased to announce that Jan van Riebeeck High School has agreed to the sale of underutilised land with a value of about R60 million, in the interests of improving the quality of education in the province.

In terms of a Cabinet decision, the Western Cape Provincial Government has agreed to sell a portion of land previously belonging to the school in Tamboerskloof.

In terms of a policy on the sale of underutilised school property that existed at that time, the school will receive 20 percent of the proceeds after deductions of administrative costs by the Department of Transport and Public Works.

The Department of Education will use the profits of the sale to accelerate the building of halls and other infrastructure provisioning.

Ultimately, public school property is a state land. But we acknowledge that school facilities are managed by school governing bodies (SGBs) and they have a right to participate in decisions affecting the utilisation of such facilities.

Four years ago, the Departments of Transport and Public Works and Education agreed to investigate the possibility of selling off certain educational and state properties, to mobilise funds to be utilised in the interests of all our communities, especially the poorest of the poor.

Given the growing crisis in school accommodation in the province, especially in Cape Town, and the lack of available funds to accelerate the school building programme, it is important that government looks at alternative means of generating funds to build new schools, including public-private partnerships.

The sale of excess and/or underutilised school and education land presents a real opportunity for our wealthy schools to contribute to building a home for all in this province.

The provincial government has approached this matter in a responsible way. In the long run, it is not advisable to alienate and sell all available school land. We have to take into account future accommodation needs, especially in areas where new housing developments are to be initiated.

We have called on SGBs of schools with excess land to initiate discussions among themselves and their communities, and examine the continued need for the land at their disposal. Government will engage in a process of consultation with SGBs before arriving at any decision. This process will be respected.

We thank the SGB of Jan van Riebeeck High and the whole school community for providing a lead on this issue, and for their willingness for making this sacrifice in the interests of education as a whole in the Western Cape.

The school will also benefit immensely, which they must use for developing the school's infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Ron Swartz, the Head of Education in the Western Cape, has requested the Head of the Treasury in the province to transfer the balance of the proceedings from the sale to the Western Cape Education Department for use in the 2008/09 financial year, for use on capital projects.

This land deal has provided an excellent example of how members of the education community of the Western Cape can work together to improve access to quality education for all.

Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
22 January 2008