LEARNERS of Malamulele High School put down their pens last Wednesday to demand a new school.
The group marched to the Malamulele police station, where they handed over their memorandum of grievances.
Supported by parents and members of the School Governing Body (SGB), the learners said their school, which was built in 1977, was no longer conducive to learning.
They claimed the school was dilapidated and that the toilets were no longer in working condition.
They further claimed that their school was situated in a noisy area, which compromised their concentration and learning during lessons.
“The noise from hooting cars and commuters is too loud and this makes it hard for us to concentrate during classes,” said Hitler Mathebula, the president of the Learner Representative Council, adding that it was necessary to move the school to a different area.
One of the parents, Basani N’umalo, said the removal of the school to another area would not only save learners from an environment where they were also at risk of being injured by speeding motorists, but would also improve the matric results.
“Despite all the noise that the learners are subjected to, the school obtained an 82,6% matric pass rate, and this shows that they can do more if they were in a proper school,” she said.
Lt Col Thifhelimbilu Mapungo received the memorandum, which gave the provincial government a total of 14 days to respond to their grievances.
Mapungo promised to pass it on to the relevant structures.
