Concerns raised over school operating on Pretoria Road
The school in question is managed by two brothers who declined to share their surname with the Kempton Express at the time of being interviewed.
A school operating on Pretoria Road has recently come under fire from the community.
On March 11, several residents visited the area to buy lunch and noticed school learners fighting.
They intervened and later reported the matter to the school authorities.
After being assured by the school that the situation had been addressed, the residents returned later to verify the resolution.
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They informed the school’s directors that they had reported the incident to the Department of Education.
Community member Archie Maobane stated that he contacted the department after witnessing disturbing incidents at the school.
He expressed concern over the school’s reaction to the department’s involvement.
“We told them that we had already informed the Department of Education, and they became hesitant.
“They said it was an internal matter and questioned why we had involved the department. As a community member, I must report issues like this,” said Maobane.
The school in question, Kings Highway College, is managed by two brothers, Joshua and Barnaba. They declined to share their surname with the Kempton Express at the time of being interviewed.
A letter from the Gauteng Department of Basic Education, provided by the brothers, indicated that the school was initially located at the corner of Cypress Road and Willow Street in Kempton Park before relocating to Monument Road.
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The letter confirmed that the school had notified the department of its previous move.
However, it failed to report its most recent relocation to Pretoria Road.
The letter also stated that any relocation without compliance with regulations would render the school illegal and lead to its deregistration.
On March 13, when Kempton Express visited the school, Joshua confirmed that while the school was registered, it was operating from an unapproved address.
“The school is registered, and we offer classes from grades one to 10, as well as tutoring for grades 11 and 12. I acknowledge that we have moved and are operating from the wrong address.”
He added that the health department was scheduled to visit the property on March 13 and the following day on March 14 the property would be visited by the fire department for inspection.
“The school initially operated on Monument Road from 2013. We moved because running the school there had become expensive. We did not notify the department about the relocation, which was a mistake,” said Joshua.
According to the brothers, the school moved from Monument Road to Pretoria Road in 2017.
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Community members reported that the Department of Basic Education visited the school on March 12 and found it to be in poor condition.
“When the department arrived, the school was filthy, and officials struggled to find the entrance.
“They had to ask people outside for directions. Once inside, they were unimpressed,” a resident, who asked not to be named, said.
The brothers claimed that they had visited the department’s head office the previous month to notify officials of the move.
They also stated that they took over management of the school two years ago and only recently realised that the address was not compliant.
Community member Portia Kgatla raised concerns about the school’s lack of compliance with health and safety regulations.
“The school doesn’t have a health certificate. When we first visited the school there were two directors and a principal present, but today on March 13 the principal is absent. Additionally, there are also fewer learners on the property compared to our first visit.
“When we asked about this, we were told that learners were given a break to study for exams,” Kgatla said.
Kempton Express reached out to the Department of Basic Education on March 19 for comment and clarification.
A response was requested by March 24, however, no feedback had been received at the time of publication.
