Coordinator of one of the groups, the Save Our Schools and Community, which is based in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown, Nomalanga Mkhize, said a lot of confusion about the powers and responsibilities of the national government in the province has been caused by the intervention.

She said the groups, including the Catholic Institute of Education and Legal Resources Centre, would file an urgent application in the Eastern Cape High Court in Bhisho for "an order directing cabinet to clarify what obligations of the Section 100 (1)(b) intervention it has assumed, to implement these obligations and to account for the exercise of those obligations".

Many Catholic schools in the province have been negatively affected by the ongoing strife between the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the provincial education department, brewing a crisis that has led to intervention by the national government.

In her affidavit Mkhize said: "It appears the national government has not actually taken over responsibility for the obligations in question or if it has, it has not done so effectively."

Catholic Institute of Education spokesperson Mark Potterton said unless the intervention was clarified the "denial of constitutional rights of pupils to education will persist with profound and long-term consequences".

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga told the education portfolio committee that the national intervention "has failed on account of no cooperation from the province".

Mawande Jack

The New Age

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