The community remains concerned about the delays and wants clarity on when the temporary classrooms will finally be delivered.
Dulcie September school damaged classroom. Picture: Supplied
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has attributed the latest postponement of a planned handover at Dulcie September Primary School to Education MEC Lebogang Maile’s “competing priorities”.
Meanwhile, frustrated parents accuse the department of dragging its feet on promises to restore the troubled Midrand school.
The handover ceremony, scheduled for last Sunday, was expected to mark the delivery of interventions following weeks of disruption caused by unsafe infrastructure and sanitation concerns at the school.
However, the event was postponed indefinitely.
The postponement comes despite earlier commitments by the department that temporary classrooms would be delivered within four weeks and that urgent interventions would be implemented to address conditions that kept thousands of pupils out of class for weeks.
Parents say promises remain unfulfilled
Speaking to The Citizen, a concerned parent said none of the promised new classrooms had materialised.
“No new classrooms have been delivered as previously promised. Instead, the MEC has reportedly appointed a donor to renovate the existing classrooms and refurbish the flush toilet facilities, rather than providing new brick-and-mortar toilet structures,” the parent said.
“The temporary classrooms that were promised have also not yet been delivered. We are now approaching six weeks since the commitment was made, despite assurances that the classrooms would be delivered within four weeks.”
The parent said the community was initially told the handover was delayed because of the condition of the school grounds.
“We were informed that the delay was due to the condition of the grass and grounds at the school. However, as committed and active parents, we took the initiative to facilitate the cleaning of the school premises and the cutting of the grass. The lawn was cut yesterday, and our children have returned to school today.”
The parent said the community remained concerned about the delays and wanted clarity on when the temporary classrooms would finally be delivered.
MEC’s calendar blamed
Responding to The Citizen regarding the postponement and parents’ concerns, MEC spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana said the event could not proceed due to scheduling conflicts.
“Due to competing priorities in the calendar of the MEC, we couldn’t continue with the planned handover. However, schooling has resumed, and learners are back in class,” Lubhelwana said.
Long-running infrastructure crisis
The latest delay follows weeks of turmoil at the school, where parents previously withdrew their children from classes over concerns about crumbling infrastructure, overcrowding, and inadequate sanitation facilities.
The school became the focus of public attention in April after parents refused to send pupils to class, arguing that the conditions were unsafe and unsuitable for learning.
Among the concerns raised were damaged and overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating infrastructure and a shortage of adequate toilet facilities.
Parents complained that pupils were being taught in poor conditions while waiting for promised interventions from the department.
The protest resulted in thousands of pupils missing lessons as parents demanded urgent action from the GDE and Maile.
The GDE announced a series of interventions, including the delivery of temporary classrooms, repairs to existing facilities and improvements to sanitation infrastructure.
The department said temporary classrooms would be delivered within four weeks while longer-term plans for the school were being explored.
In May, Maile acknowledged that Dulcie September was one of Gauteng’s school infrastructure “emergencies” and said private-sector assistance had been secured to repair classrooms and toilets.
He also conceded that the school would ultimately require a completely new facility.
However, nearly six weeks later, parents say the temporary classrooms have yet to arrive, and the promised handover of improvements has now been postponed.
Parents take matters into their own hands
According to The Citizen‘s sister paper, Midrand Reporter, parents recently resolved that learners should return to class regardless of whether the MEC attended a handover ceremony.
Parents and school governing body representatives argued that teaching and learning could not remain dependent on official visits after pupils had already lost significant classroom time.
For many parents, the central issue remains unchanged: promised classrooms have yet to arrive, permanent solutions are absent, and the latest explanation for the delays points not to construction challenges or procurement hurdles but to the MEC’s schedule.
