Boarding school closed again due to sanitation, parents raise their concern

The Thaba Chweu Boarding School did not reopen for classes on Monday March 7.

Enraged parents met with the Mpumalanga Department of Education at the school on Monday to inform them of severe sanitation issues in the bathrooms and kitchens. There has been no water at the school for the past few weeks. At the end of January, the school was closed for two weeks due to the lack of water on the premises and in the hostel buildings.

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Efforts to resolve water and sanitation challenges have been an issue at the school since it opened in January 2020. The SGB’s chairperson, Johannes Mkhonto, said the 1 200 learners were not able to study and focus on their work, and that the school does not meet the government’s Covid-19 protocols.

“Our children are losing so much time due to this. The department should intervene. In the past, local farmers provided the school with water. But this was only a temporary solution,” said Mkhonto.

Meanwhile, the Mpumalanga Department of Education said infrastructure officials have been sent to the Thaba Chweu Boarding School to assess the situation.

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The Department of Education’s spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, said they are concerned with the current situation at the school.

“We have sent a team from the district to go and make assessments to evaluate the challenges. They will then engage the school management together with the school governing body,” he said.

In a statement following the news that the school closed again, Sonja Boshoff, the DA member of parliament, said, “The DA is deeply concerned about the closure of the Thaba Chweu Boarding School following the water situation. This school is a new one and it is totally unacceptable that two years down the line, it is closed due to water shortages. As water is a basic need, the provincial Department of Education should have ensured that sufficient water would be available.

“The matter has been raised by myself with Jane Sithole, the provincial spokesperson for education, who interacted with the MEC of education in the province to request her intervention to ensure that these learners do not miss out on schooling again. We would then like to request the MEC to enlighten learners, teachers and parents alike on how the department will go about instituting online classes to ensure learners do not fall behind with the 2022 curriculum.”