Gauteng’s freezing weather disrupts school attendance as learners struggle to keep warm
Freezing temperatures and rainy conditions are keeping some learners away from school while those who attend say the cold classrooms and school uniforms make it difficult to concentrate.
Gauteng’s freezing weather is affecting school attendance, with several schools reporting a decline in the number of learners coming to class since Monday.
The province has been experiencing extremely cold conditions accompanied by rainfall, making it difficult for some learners to travel to school.
Temperatures have dropped to as low as 3°C, with the cold weather expected to continue.
At Nkabinde Primary School, the principal, Vusi Nkabinde, says attendance has dropped significantly since the start of the week.
Nkabinde says the cold and wet conditions are among the factors contributing to the decline in the number of learners attending school.
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The drop in attendance has raised concerns about the impact the harsh weather could have on learning, particularly for learners who have to travel long distances or walk to school.
“Most of the learners were not here on Monday. We recently received a hat and glove donation from an NPO where 100 learners were assisted, and some learners were asking for those because of the cold weather,” he said.
He also spoke about how it can be difficult to endure the cold temperatures in the classrooms.
“Things would be better if we had heaters in all our classrooms, but that’s not the case; we hope to have them soon so learners don’t get discouraged when the temperatures are low,” he said.
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African Reporter spoke to learners on their way to school about how the cold affects them.
“When it’s cold, I find it really hard to focus in class because I’m too busy trying to keep warm.
“The cold makes me feel tired and uncomfortable, so it’s difficult to concentrate on what the teacher is saying,” said 16-year-old Busisiwe Hlongwane.
They also claimed that the uniform is not warm enough.
“I understand why we have to wear our school uniform, but in winter it can be really cold. Sometimes the uniform isn’t warm enough,” said 17-year-old Tisetso Mofokeng.
