Where will pupils go to next year?
Farm workers’ children now have nowhere to go to school.
TRICHARDT – Pupils and teachers from Trichardtsfontein Combined School do not know whether they will have a school to return to next year.
This came after the owner of the land on which the school is situated, Mr Jan Brits, decided to close the school after he had tried to negotiate a deal with the Department of Education.
The Echo and Ridge Times did a story about the school a few years ago about the bad state of the school and never received any comment from the department after they were asked numerous times.
The bathrooms were in a dire state and they did not have a proper kitchen.
In the mean time several companies invested money in the school and they got new classrooms, new bathrooms and a new kitchen.
Staff of the school, the community and Mr Brits contacted the Department of Education numerous times to get a response from them, but to no avail.
According to Mr Brits, he has been battling for the past 11 months to renew his rental contract with the Department of Education.
He has sent 11 lawyer’s letters to this department and visited their offices three times, but they only make promises they do not keep.
After he closed the school on Friday, 6 December, they finally reacted by sending him a letter offering him half of what he wanted as rent.
The rent is a bit more than what the previous farm owner had charged, but according to Mr Brits it has not be revised for the past 12 years.
“I asked them less than 50 per cent of market related rent,” said Mr Brits.
He is planning on keeping the school closed until the Department of Education comes of with a solution.
“Unfortunately I do not have a choice, they still owe me the rent for 2013.
“Before they got new classrooms, the buildings were vandalised and there was a lot of damage,” said Mr Brits.
The community is concerned as the pupils are farm workers’ children and they did not pay to go to school.
Other schools for next year are already full and the farm workers will not be able to afford the school fees charged at other schools.
The Echo and Ridge Times once again contacted the Department of Education more than once, but they did not respond at all.
