Parents fear classrooms could collapse at Tshikota school
Parents and educators are urging government to act before deteriorating infrastructure leads to a tragedy.
LIMPOPO – Parents at Masedi Primary School in Tshikota outside Louis Trichardt, have raised concerns about overcrowding and deteriorating classrooms, fearing that some buildings could collapse at any time.
The school, which has more than 1 000 learners, currently has only 10 classrooms. As a result, some classes cater for more than 100 learners, despite being designed for about 40 learners.
Two blocks consisting of four classrooms each have fallen into disrepair. The walls are cracked, floors are riddled with potholes and roofs leak during rainy weather.
Two mobile classrooms are also in poor condition, with holes in the structures allowing snakes and other pests to enter.
Safety fears grow as buildings deteriorate
School Governing Body (SGB) chairperson Fridinah Rasesu said the conditions make teaching and learning extremely difficult.
“The walls and roofs may collapse at any time. We risk our lives and those of our children every day,” she said.
Rasesu added that snakes and scorpions are frequently found inside the damaged classrooms.
“We have applied many times to the department for additional classrooms, but our pleas have not yielded any results,” she said.
She said mobile classrooms could provide temporary relief while the department works on a permanent solution.
“Government must either provide mobile classrooms or build additional classrooms for our children. When you look at some schools in the province, they even have air-conditioned classrooms, while our learners are struggling in unsafe conditions,” she said.
Parents call for urgent intervention
Parents fear the deteriorating buildings could collapse and seriously injure or kill learners. Teachers and learners have reportedly been injured after tripping over holes in classroom floors, while learners claim some roofs appear close to collapsing.
One parent, Adam Manari said overgrown bushes on the school premises create an additional danger by providing shelter for snakes.
“This school is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode at any time,” he said.
Manari said parents have been requesting new classrooms from the Department of Education for years without success.
“The conditions at this school make it very difficult for education to proceed smoothly. The walls and roofs may fall at any time, and we fear for the safety of our children,” he said.
He added that the community had repeatedly alerted authorities, but little progress had been made.
School identified for infrastructure development
The head of communications at the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Rendani Munyai, acknowledged the infrastructure challenges facing schools across the province.
“There is a backlog in the department, and many schools across Limpopo are experiencing classroom shortages. Masedi Primary School is among the schools identified for infrastructure development.”
Munyai could, however, not confirm when the project will commence.
Parents and school officials are now calling on government to intervene urgently before a tragedy occurs.
