No school for Maepa

BURGERSFORT – Children from Maepa Village are idling at home while their peers are attending school.

Since the schools reopened for the third quarter, the kids have only attended their classes once. The village, which is on the outskirts of Ohrigstad, has no secondary school.

The children are forced to travel more than 50 kilometres to and from a nearby school in Kgautswane Village.

“We rely on a bus that takes 69 pupils to Matshaile Secondary School every day, but in the past four weeks, the bus only came once. Every day we get ready with the hope that the bus will pick us up, but since July 11, no bus pitched,” said a grade 10 pupil, Promise Mnisi.

The pupils told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that this is affecting their academic progress. “We are missing out. This will make us fail our exams. Our principal has told us to make plans to get to school,” another pupil added. Among the 69 pupils are five learners who are in grade 12.

Parents said they have complained to the Leboeng circuit and were promised that a bus will be arranged to assist the pupils. “We previously complained about an un- roadworthy bus that had no brakes and wipers. It was a death-trap, a sekorokoro, and our kids were risking their lives travelling on it. After our complaints, there was no bus sent to ferry the kids.”

Parents said hitchhiking to and from the school was also not an option. “Children are raped and abducted daily, while others are killed. It is dangerous to allow our kids to hike to schools,” added Grace Mohubedu.

They said it cost them R40 for a single trip to get to school.

Parents are now pleading with the Limpopo Department of Education to arrange a proper bus for the children.

DA party leader in Limpopo, Jacques Smalle said, “Children who walk long distances to school daily face real and present dangers that can strip them of their identity, their dignity, and possibly their lives. But they are avoidable dangers. Safe and reliable scholar transport would allow learners to be protected from crime, and give them much needed peace of mind.”

The Limpopo Department of Education’s Sam Makondo confirmed to Steelburger/Lydenburg News that they will investigate the matter and will try to get transport for the stranded pupils.

According to a national policy on scholar transport, the responsibility for scholar transport is shared between the Departments of Transport and Education at provincial and national levels.