Parents and teachers at KwaFaku Primary School in New Crossroads say their pupils are sitting on a “ticking time bomb” as the facility, made of styrofoam, could collapse at any time.
Frustrated parents protested outside the school asking their children not to attend classes, citing health and safety reasons.They say the school is in a state of despair as the toilets are blocked, the roof leaks, ceilings are caving in and parts of the facility have already collapsed.
The school was opened 17 years ago for experimental use, according to the teachers. They say the building material installed is outdated and could not be replaced as the school was only meant to be used for a short time.
According to KwaFaku Primary School principal Maureen Figlan the facility was meant to be demolished earlier this year and pupils provided with mobile classes.
“When we moved into this facility in 2000, there had already been defaults. The school was built for experimental purposes, not for a long term. That is why you see it collapsing this way. The material is irreparable. You can’t find it anywhere,” she said.
Figlan said the pupils’ health was at risk due to the amount of dust they inhaled due to the open classes.
“The fear that the parents are having is that they do not know when this will collapse. We don’t want to have a situation similar to the Nigerian church collapse. The school was supposed to be demolished in January, and we are in the middle of February but we have not heard anything from the department,” she said.
Community leaders say the protest was meant for one day, but had been extended after officials failed to address the issue yesterday.
“We had anticipated we would shut down the school only for a day, but after seeing that no one cares, we will have to shut it down again. This is a matter of the life and health of our children,” one said.
The department said construction was expected to start at the beginning of 2019. It said pupils would continue being accommodated in the current building, and would be moved when the new infrastructure was finished.