Railway Secondary School in The Orchards, north of Pretoria, has been thrust into the spotlight after parents and community members took the drastic step of allegedly forcefully shutting down the school.

Police were deployed to keep an eye on the situation at the school.

The angered parents cited concerns of the school management processes, lack of reliable water and electricity supply, overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of teachers, and deteriorating infrastructure.

Other issues were school finances, the removal of the Institutional Development and Support Official (IDSO), and delays in finalising outstanding School Governing Body (SGB) components.

Concerned parents and community members said the shutdown was a peaceful action taken after weeks of unsuccessful attempts to engage the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and district officials.

“The continued failure to intervene in the crisis at Railway Secondary School is undermining learners’ constitutional right to basic education,” said SGB committee member Kabelo Moiloa.

Moiloa said parents further alleged that learners were being expected to write tests on work that had not been properly taught, placing them at a severe academic disadvantage.

They also expressed concern over the absence of a principal or acting principal for more than two weeks, which they believe has contributed to instability and poor co-ordination within the school.

Parents have called for urgent intervention, including the immediate appointment of a principal or acting principal, a full investigation into the issues raised, improved infrastructure and classroom capacity, financial transparency, and assurances that learners will not be assessed on untaught material.

They have also requested an urgent meeting with the department and warned that the matter could be escalated to oversight bodies such as the South African Human Rights Commission if no action is taken.

Lerato Mothusi said the department must also make a plan for relocating the children to surrounding schools.

“There’s a tavern nearby. How will the children cope with such an establishment nearby?

“The worst part is that there’s a train station right across the school. I mean, that alone must be a huge concern to all of us. We send children to school to receive the best education, not for them to be taught near train stations,” said Mothusi.

Mothusi called on the department to take this matter seriously, as all children at the school have a right to proper education.

The GDE confirmed that a meeting with stakeholders took place at the school.

The department stated that an interim SGB is currently managing the school’s finances, and that a formal handover will take place once the governing body is fully constituted.

According to GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona, the school has an enrolment of 810 learners and is staffed by 22 educators, in line with the approved post establishment.

Addressing infrastructure and service delivery concerns, the department said municipal services would be completed once the Site Development Plans (SDP) receive approval from the relevant municipality.

“In the meantime, the school is relying on a borehole for water supply and a generator for electricity,” said Mabona.

On the issue of water shortages, the GDE confirmed that a service provider visited the school on March 17 and identified a malfunction in the borehole control box.

The component was scheduled for replacement on March 18, and as an interim measure, water is being delivered to the school twice a week by an appointed supplier.

Despite outlining these interventions, the department strongly condemned the disruption of schooling.

“We strongly condemn the disruption of schools and urge all stakeholders to use available structures to raise issues of concern and not to disrupt schooling,” said Mabona.

While the GDE has outlined steps being taken to address some of the concerns, parents remain adamant that more immediate and comprehensive interventions are needed to restore stability and ensure a safe, functional and effective learning environment.

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