EFF protests outside HTS over Grade Eight English classes
The EFF protested outside HTS Middelburg over the alleged exclusion of Grade Eight English learners, with school officials denying the claims.
A protest, which took place outside HTS Middelburg today, was led by the MMC for Public Safety, Clr Zandile Joseph Ngubeni, EFF members, and parents over the school’s alleged failure to provide English classes for Grade Eight learners.
The EFF attempted to hand over a memorandum to the school principal outlining their grievances. Protesters were informed that the principal was in a meeting and were asked to submit the memorandum to a School Governing Body (SGB) member, which they refused, insisting it be received by the principal or his deputy.
According to Ngubeni, a similar protest was held last year, during which the school agreed to introduce an additional Grade 8 English class. He claimed this agreement was not honoured and that English-speaking learners were instead placed in Afrikaans classes, resulting in limited space for English learners this year.
The memorandum further alleges that approximately 90 Grade Eight learners in the English stream are not from Middelburg but commute daily from eMalahleni. Claims of overcrowding at the school were also disputed, with protesters stating that the school’s statistics have remained unchanged for the past 10 years and do not reflect overcrowding.
The EFF is demanding that HTS Middelburg provide a Grade Eight English class in line with the previous agreement to accommodate learners from Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
The party warned that failure to do so could result in legal action against the school, citing what it describes as the deliberate sidelining of English learners, who are predominantly black.
• The Middelburg Observer reached out to the school for comment. While the principal was unavailable at the time, SGB member Pierre Jooste said the school had not received a memorandum of demands and was still dealing with the matter.
Jooste further stated that the school was not aware of any agreement from last year to introduce an additional Grade Eight English class.
He also dismissed claims that around 90 Grade Eight learners commute from eMalahleni, saying learners were accepted from Aerorand Primary and Middelburg Primary schools.
@middelburgobserver WATCH: EFF protests outside HTS over Grade Eight English classes The EFF protested outside HTS Middelburg over the alleged exclusion of Grade Eight English learners, with school officials denying the claims. Read more: #MiddelburgObserver #Mpumalanga #stevetshwetelocalmunicipality middelburg #hts #eff
