WeeklySA_AdminINJUSTICE: Hundreds of North West pupils attend lessons in derelict schools, sitting on cold cement floors…
By Robert Tlapu
Hundreds of pupils at four schools including three secondary schools in the Madibeng municipality in the Bojanala district in North West are still attending classes under inhumane conditions compounded by massive overcrowding and classes conducted while pupils sat on cold cement floors.
Scores of learners at Klipgat, Fumane and Diphetogo secondary schools say they attend classes under trees and carports because of overcrowding. Some of these schools are using the rotational method of sharing days for Grades eight and nine pupils.
The schools are also experiencing lack of proper toilets and office space for the teaching staff. There is a massive shortage of classrooms and the schools have no electricity. The school buildings are falling apart with most of the walls cracking and as a result the buildings were posing a serious risk for the pupils’ lives.
Explaining the rotational method, one learner, who spoke on condition of anonymity said : “If one group attends classes on a Monday, they they do not come to school the following day to give another group a chance. This is because we are overcrowded in classes.”
He estimated that there were about 60 learners in his classroom, hence the rotational system.
He added that there was also a serious shortage of desks. A Grade 9 learner at Diphetogo Secondary School said they attended their classes in the school hall and shared the space on certain days with the Grade 8 learners. “We sit on the floor as there are no chairs in the hall. Some learners would bring their own chairs from home, otherwise we hit the floor with our butts”.
Tsatsawane Mnguni (not her real name), a Grade 9 learner at Diphetogo Secondary said they write their class work while standing as the school had no desks and chairs. “We normally swop classes with the Grade 8s to attend in a classroom that has furniture. We were told to bring our own chairs to school, but some learners do not want to bring them”.
Some of the teachers who spoke anonymously confirmed that learners were attending under inhumane conditions including under carports and trees due to the shortage of classrooms as well as furniture. One of the teachers said: “We have a huge crisis of overcrowding in our school and other neighbouring schools.
Learners use whatever sheltered space so they can proceed with their lessons. Although we received mobile classrooms from the Department of Education to alleviate the problem, they are still not enough to solve the crisis we are facing. There is still a shortage of furniture in our school”.
The North West Education department provided three mobile classes to each of the affected schools to try and eliminate the usage of carports and trees but this has not helped much.
Meanwhile, North West Times facebook page reports that Makgari primary school which is situated in Ratlou village in Ratlou local municipality, under Ngaka Modiri Molema district has reportedly never been renovated since it was built in 1930.
According to the report, there is no running water at the school, no proper toilets, no offices for teachers and principal, no fencing, walls are severely cracked, no ceilings in most classrooms and there is no reliable electricity supply.
Responding to the enquiry, North West Education department spokesperson, Elias Malindi, said overcrowding was a thing of the past.
“The high schools have been provided with mobile classrooms in order to deal with the problem of overcrowding. Furniture has been provided to secondary schools”.
Commenting on the issue of the 92 year – old Makgari Primary School, he said : “The school has been prioritized for this financial year for major renovations. Already the district has started with the procurement processes. The school has mobile toilets which are serviced every week”.
Asked if learners would not be affected during the renovations, Malindi responded that not all the blocks needed to be renovated.
“Learners will use those blocks which are not affected. The school is budgeted for this year and renovations will happen after all processes have been followed”, said Malindi. When asked why the school has not been renovated by the North West education department over the years, Malindi said : “There had been plans a long time ago to renovate the school, but the local community refused to have the school building demolished citing that it had a monumental history”.
Malindi could not confirm when the school’s renovations would begin but stressed that it was within the Department of Education’s financial year budget plan.
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