Primary school near Masoyi to be demolished for an upgrade
The classrooms at the school have been declared irreparable after the community demanded the issues be addressed.
The current state of the infrastructure at Legogoto Primary School has led the Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE) to opt for it to be demolished rather than revamped.
According the spokesperson of the DoE, Gerald Sambo, the school had been scheduled for renovation in the recent school holiday.
Sambo, however, said the Independent Development Trust – a state-owned entity that implements social infrastructure and development programmes for the government – reported that the classrooms were irreparable and recommended demolishing the unsafe structures and replacing them with new ones
“We are planning to relocate mobile classrooms from nearby schools so that the pupils and educators will be able to use them while we work on a permanent solution. The project is currently in the planning and design stage and construction will commence once all due processes have been completed,” said Sambo.
The crumbling infrastructure of the school, such as severely cracked walls in some classrooms, falling ceilings, broken windows and a poor kitchen facility that uses open fire, has caused a community uproar in the last five to 10 years.
When the current academic year began, some community members took part in a protest, demanding the school to be renovated, as promised by the DoE in previous years.
A resident, Lydia Sithole, said the government has neglected this and other schools in the Masoyi area for far too long.
ALSO READ: Service Delivery Drive tackles issues in wards 18 and 19
“The number of pupils and teachers at Legogote Primary does not balance. The classrooms are overcrowded without proper learning facilities. We really need the department to take serious action. As the school year progresses, the dilapidated infrastructure will have significant implications for the learners and the staff. In order for the teachers to provide quality education and the learners to learn in a conducive environment, this school needs to be renovated,” said Sithole.
ALSO READ: Man dies in attempted robbery in Hazyview
There are currently 712 pupils and 18 educators in the school.
