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Parents demand answers about dilapidated school in Eldos

The previous asbestos classrooms was also in a poor condition infested with rats, soil, moulds and broken windows and furniture

As the 2025 academic year started, most parents envision their children’s first school day as one they will forever engrave in their hearts.

However, this was not the reality of most parents in Eldorado Park, who gathered at Kliptown Primary School to raise frustrations over the poor learning conditions of the school.

Together with members of the School Governing Body (SGB), they promised to shut the school down following the promises of the Department of Education in 2024 to renovate and refurbish the school before the start of the 2025 academic year.

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Kliptown Primary School SGB chairperson Avril Morris said the Department of Education disappointed them for not keeping their promise.

Community activist Shaun Govender points out the rat-infested asbestos classroom.

The only thing repaired in the school following the meeting they had with the department was the electricity connection.

The publication visited the school on January 15 to witness poor learning conditions and the dilapidated school infrastructure.

Instead of being in the classrooms, learners were carrying furniture from their previous asbestos classroom to the new one.

The previous asbestos classrooms were in poor condition, infested with rats, soil, mould, and broken windows and furniture.

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“The initial plan was to shut down the school, but after a meeting with other SGB members and parents and our crisis committee, some members felt because learners would attend school we should halt the shutdown.

“The learners have to walk close to a kilometre to access the toilets on the old side of the school because there are no toilets on the new side. This situation disrupts teaching,” Morris said.

“I am not malicious. I am a mother and a grandmother. This school is about 69 years old and has unbearable conditions.

“All we received from the department were empty promises.

“We are still waiting for toilets, furniture and other mobile classes, but the department has done nothing since October. We do not have water points or furniture for the teachers who are supposed to teach our children.”

Naomi Smith, whose three children are at the school, said that they are doing this for the safety of their children.

“With the other parents standing with me, we are fighting for the rights of our children because no child deserves to learn in such conditions.

“I brought my children to school today because the department promised the school would be in good condition.

Here we are; they promised lies again, so we demand answers.”

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The Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said they are committed to finding a solution to the challenges facing the school and ensuring that learning resumes as soon as possible.

“We urge the community to work with us and refrain from disruptions, which can compromise the safety and well-being of learners.

Our team will be onsite to assess the situation and provide a way forward on January 21 or January 22 latest. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation during this time.”

 

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