In a powerful and emotionally charged demonstration marking Youth Month, learners and staff of Dawn Park Primary held a peaceful march on June 18 to highlight the growing challenges that learners face, most notably extreme overcrowding in classrooms and escalating social ills.
Marching from the school to the Dawn Park Police Station and back, learners carried posters, chanted messages of hope, and demanded action to protect their rights to quality education and a safe learning environment.
This march underscored the call for urgent solutions to problems such as classroom overcrowding, bullying, substance abuse, mental health challenges, child trafficking and socio-economic inequality.
School principal Vusi Motaung shared a striking reflection on the school’s growth and its current challenges.
“When the school was first started in 1999, we had around 800 learners enrolled. Today, that number has more than tripled. This makes teaching very difficult.”
He added that the excessive learner-to-teacher ratio places a tremendous burden on both educators and learners.
“In overcrowded classrooms, teachers are stretched too thin to give individual attention, discipline becomes a challenge and learners with special academic or emotional needs are often overlooked. The quality of education inevitably suffers.
“The outcry drew attention to how overcrowding compounds other societal issues. With limited space, learners become more vulnerable to bullying, feel emotionally neglected and face obstacles in expressing their concerns or seeking support.”
Motaung added that the learners are living through more than just academic stress. They are facing poverty, abuse, substance exposure and discrimination.
“School should be a safe haven, not an extension of those problems,” he said.
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The march also addressed racism and discrimination in schools, issues which learners said deeply affect their sense of belonging, mental health, and motivation.
“Experiences of discrimination make children feel isolated and unworthy. When these things happen in a school environment, it chips away at self-esteem and ultimately hinders academic achievement.”
Dawn Park Primary’s learners have also become vocal advocates against child trafficking and the school leadership believes that raising awareness from a young age can save lives.
“We’re dealing with a generation of children who are exposed to more danger than ever before. If we don’t speak up now, we fail them,” said Motaung.
“This is not just a school march, it’s a cry for help and a declaration of hope. We hope our grievances are heard.”
The march concluded with learners back in the school yard raising their hands in unity and shouting: “We are the youth. We are the future. Help us grow.”
The Dawn Park Police Station, moved by the passionate voices of the young marchers, reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing school safety campaigns and community outreach.
Officers praised the learners for their courage and expressed hope that more public platforms would be created to allow children to voice their needs.
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