Barberton Primary Gallery – First day at school

A week ago today the grade ones from around the country started their first day at school. It would seem that the tendency of little people crying and clinging to their mothers, which used to be synonymous with first school days, is soon becoming a thing of the past. In 2015 Barberton Times saw one child with a few tears in his eyes, but that was it.

This year not one incident of crying was witnessed. The closest was when Keanu Crous of Barberton Primary very politely asked that we do not take his picture after we enquired to do so. Luckily, he was persuaded and managed not to look away.

At Mountain View Primary, it was a beehive of activity and the grade ones seemed to enjoy all the excitement. Many of them even got up and posed like experienced models. Later the same afternoon at least three parents approached Barberton Times with complaints of there not being any space in the schools for their children. Of these, two were accommodated, but one little girl is still waiting. Her parents decided to send her back to grade R this year.

All the schools Barberton Times have spoken to are full. It would seem as if there are too many kids for the available space in local schools, but the paper could not manage to get hold of the statistics, if any such exist.

Gateway Christian school has one grade one class with 12 learners. Barberton Primary has 157 grade ones between the three English and two Afrikaans classes. Mountain View Primary has 95 learners in two grade one classes, one with 48 and one with 47. There is a waiting list, but nothing can be done about it.

Deputy principal of Mountain View, Ernest Nkosi explained that it is a very difficult situation and that one can just imagine with the heat and humidity how unbearable it will be to be present in such an overcrowded room. “We cannot take in any more learners as the classes will become overcrowded and this will affect both the teaching and the learning which has to take place,” he said.