Parents shut down school due to shortage of furniture; fear of Covid non-compliance
The angry parents demanded that the department of education to immediately provide the school with mobile classes and enough furniture.
Overcrowded classrooms at Kutumela Molifi primary school in Lethabong informal settlement caused parents to disrupt classes and take their children home for safety on Monday morning.
The angry parents demanded the education department immediately provide the school with mobile classes and enough furniture.
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A parent at the school, Sphiwe Khoza, said the classrooms were overcrowded and didn’t have enough chairs and tables.
“It seems like the school no longer practice the rules and regulations of Covid-19 and therefore puts the lives of our children in danger.
“The school is overcrowded with more than 50 learners per class from grade R to grade 7.
“We are afraid that our children might get sick with the virus from these overcrowded classrooms,” said Khoza.
The parents were protesting outside the school and vowed to shut down the school until the department of education take the matter very seriously.
Khoza said the safety of the children came first.
“We can’t have our children attend classes in classrooms with only a few chairs and tables.”
Betty Nkosi added the children were forced to share chairs while others were forced to use tables as chairs.
“Most of the learners come from nearby informal settlements in Lethabo.
“Our children are forced to attend classes the whole day sitting on the floor,” said Nkosi.
“We are looking out for our children and their safety comes first and the issue of overcrowding can only be solved by mobile classrooms,” she added.
Tony Maseko, another parent, said, “The school does not comply with the rules and regulations of Covid-19.
“This is not the first time the school experienced overcrowding, even last year we experienced the same issue.”
The parents demanded answers why the school has a shortage of furniture and why the department had not taken any action or come up with an alternative plan.
The Gauteng education department had yet to respond to requests for comment.
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