Tsonga schools continue despite problems

With the first school term starting this week, it was “problems as usual” at two Kathorus schools: problem-prone Chivirikani Primary in Siluma View and Vhumbeni Primary, in Mokoena Section.

These two are the only schools catering for xhi-Tsonga-speaking learners around Kathorus and its neighbouring informal settlements, who flood both schools for admission each year. The majority of the learners enrolling at the two schools have no legal birth registration documents such as birth-certificates, clinic and immunisation cards however, because many of them are from areas outside Gauteng while others weren’t born in South Africa and are in the country illegally.

According to the principal at Chivirikani Primary School, Mr. Chris Maluleka, the government education policy forbids the country’s public schools from refusing a learner admission if the learner doesn’t have legal documents. “Because of this policy, we are bound by law to admit learners without documents, but give their parent or guardian a period of 3-months, to bring the required documents to the school,” Maluleke explained.

But according to headmaster Maluleke, not every parent or guardian adheres to this and returns with the required documents. Many of them simply don’t even bother to come back, once the child has been admitted by the school,” he added. Maluleke explained many of these learners find themselves unable to continue their schooling once they reach Grade 7 or 8, because they can’t be registered for high school and eventually write matric due to never being registered when they started school.

Taking Kathorus MAIL on a brief tour of the school premises and pointing out an area where he believes the main electrical cable had been disconnected, the HOD at Vhumbeni Primary School in Mokoena Section, Mr Themba Mbongwe, described how the electrical problem has plunged the administrative block into darkness and without internet connectivity.

Inside some of the class rooms, Mbongwe pointed out class rooms where mounted electrical circuit boxes had been broken into – and the wires ripped out. Mbongwe said this happened in December just before schools closed for the festive holidays. But with all the chaos, he tried hard to keep a “level head” and made sure that the opening day of the school year went ahead without further glitches.

“I have to,” said Mbongwe, as he multi-tasked his way between giving details of the school’s first day woes – and answering a myriad of troubled questions from worried parents, enquiring about their children’s education. “This situation has now forced us to do everything manually, as we’re unable to log onto the school’s network systems to operate our computers,” he explained.

Pointing to a mounted new multi-faceted rooter system donated to the school by a benevolent manufacturer, Mbongwe said the device was intended to help ‘heighten’ the capacity on the school’s own network system, to handle large data. “Right now however, this system needs electricity for it to be able to boost the school’s existing IT system. Sadly, all this is happening to us on a day like this,” he said gesturing towards small pockets of troubled parents besides them, waiting for his attention.

Despite all the problems, Mbongwe applauded the school’s teachers, each with their allocated quota of learners already inside their classrooms and on time for new school year. “We’ll deal with the rest as we go along,” said Mbogwe as he continued with his problems-riddled first day at school.