Kids’ hopes dashed as school remains closed
It also includes a grade R building with three classrooms and eight dormitories which can accommodate 132 children each.
MACHADODORP – Hundreds of learners flooded the premises of the multimillion rand boarding school in Machadodorp last week Wednesday, hoping to commence their studies on time.
This, however, remains a dream, the DA recently said. According to a press release issued by the DA earlier this week, they were shocked to learn that two weeks into the new school year the eagerly awaited Emakhazeni Boarding School has yet to open its doors.
The DA’s deputy provincial chairman in Mpumalanga, Ms Sonja Boshoff said this was due to the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and the Department of Education’s failure to work together. According to her a dispute between the two departments resulted in the late delivery of the key to the school.
In the statement the DA claimed that the school was supposed to open its doors in 2014 but that the minister of basic education, Ms Angie Mothsekga, had said it was moved to January 2015 “in line with the commencement of the academic year”.
According to Boshoff, during an oversight visit to the school, they found a few staff members there but the admin block was not up and running and that furniture was stacked outside. Boshoff added that the classrooms were locked and that the school had also not finalised admissions. “It could not be confirmed if there are more than 750 learners that the school originally said it can cater for,” the DA said.
Lowvelder visited the school on Wednesday last week but was advised to contact the Department of Education for any enquiries.
Upon arrival, minibus taxis pulled up dropping learners off with all their luggage. Here and there parents were busy with the so-called registration process, but the Department of Education could not confirm that the school had been officially declared open. Some of the teachers found on the premises said that they were still busy with the process and that orientation would start the next day.
Mr Jasper Zwane, spokesman for the Department of Education, only responded to the scope of construction completed at the school.
According to him 24 classrooms, 35 toilets, a computer centre, library, laboratory, guard house with refuse area, kitchen and dining hall, security fencing, parking facilities, sport facilities including a tennis, netball and basketball court, as well as a volleyball, rugby and soccer field have been completed. It also includes a grade R building with three classrooms and eight dormitories which can accommodate 132 children each.
According to an informed source, future expansion might include eight more dormitories as well as teacher accommodation and a sports field. The source also said the school could accommodate up to 2 200 pupils.
Zwane explained that the school was built to ensure that learners from farm and deep rural areas can receive quality education, as well as to reduce the dropout rate.
It is one of four boarding schools in the province and will cater for grade R to grade nine learners.
He said Ellie, Blomplaas, Nhlupheko, Thembalethu and Ummeli primary schools have all closed their doors and that learners would have to be accommodated at this boarding school from now on.
