Kabelo secondary still without proper furniture

POLOKWANE – Kabelo Secondary School in Greenside is still without proper furniture.

Earlier this term, learners likened the classroom to kraals and embarked on a march to the department of education in Biccard Street, Polokwane, where they handed over a memorandum in which they demanded proper furniture for their school.

Polite Mbengwa, the president of the school’s Student Representative Council of the school, said the school has operated for several years without proper furniture and this has negatively affected education.

“We don’t enjoy school anymore because the classrooms are no better than kraals. There is no furniture at all, we use pieces of wood or other material such as chairs and our laps for tables. We marched to the department earlier this term where we were promised proper furniture, but what has been delivered to our school is worse than the little we had. This is a shocking state of affairs to all of us as learners, especially in the 21st year of democracy. We are very disappointed by our department because it seems like we have been forgotten,” Mbengwa said.

Kwena Manamela, a gr. 12 learner, said they wrote their half-yearly and trial examination in derelict classrooms.

“This affects us very negatively. All our requests have gone unanswered. We no longer feel safe in our classrooms, the structures are unstable and the ceiling could collapse at anytime. It seems we will write our final examinations in these conditions, we are begging the department to please help us, we have had enough,” Manamela urged.

Education spokesperson, Dr Naledzani Rasila, said the department recently met with the school governing body to discuss the matter.

“The requests from the school have been noted. We are working on finalising the delivery process,” he said.