No school for three weeks after parents shut down Mams primary school
Frustrated and angry parents claimed to have shut down the school because the classrooms were overcrowded and the state of the mobile classrooms was terrible.
There has been no schooling at a Mamelodi East school for almost three weeks after parents shut it down, complaining about overcrowding in the classrooms.
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education Khume Ramulifho said it was unacceptable that Sediba sa Thuto primary school learners continued to be denied access to basic education due to the continuous disruption of schooling.
“We were shocked to discover that there are no signs of teaching and learning at the school and the school gates were closed,” said Ramulifho during an oversight inspection of the school.
Frustrated and angry parents claimed to have shut down the school because the classrooms were overcrowded and the state of the mobile classrooms was terrible.
“The classrooms are severely overcrowded. There are 74 learners per classroom and the environment is not conducive to learning and teaching,” said parent Victor Chauke.
Chauke said that 1 663 learners were squeezed into 36 “very old containers at the school”, adding that 10 of them were so bad they needed to be replaced immediately.
He said parents signed a petition that they handed to the department of education in January, but have not heard back.
“All they did was give us empty promises,” said Chauke.
He said the department did not take them seriously and that their children’s future was at stake.
“Our children are behind with their school work,” he said.
Ramulifho said that the current number of mobile classrooms cannot accommodate the number of learners.
“Most of the mobile classrooms are broken and pose a safety risk to both learners and teachers,” he said.
He added that it was also alleged that tall grass and a bush near the school harboured snakes were “a danger to the learners”.
Another parent claimed that the additional mobile classrooms they asked the department to provide have not yet been delivered.
The DA claimed though it had a fruitful conversation with the parents, they insisted they will only allow their children to attend school after new mobile classrooms were provided.
The party demanded that Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi provide this school with additional mobile classrooms as a matter of urgency.
“Lesufi must hold the district officials to account for depriving these learners of their right to education in a conducive environment,” said Ramulifho.
“We will also be tabling written questions in the Gauteng legislature to ascertain when the additional classrooms and teachers would be provided as well as when a brick-and-mortar school will be built,” he said.
Ramulifho said the DA will fight to ensure that this school was provided with all the necessary resources needed for learning and teaching to take place in a conducive environment.
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said: “We are aware of the school’s closure after community members forcefully locked the school gates and chased school staff away.”
He said the department was in constant talks with the community about addressing their complaints.
“Indeed, we are finalising the delivery of the required mobile units to this and other affected schools,” he said.
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