Cape Town – Gathering before locked gates at what was their classroom only last year was not done simply to pass time. It was a demonstration by pupils of Uitzig Senior Secondary School in the hope of catching the attention of provincial education officials to hear their cries to keep the school open.
It was a call to action and, according to matric pupil Jody Kortje, it was for the future of generations to come.
Jody, 19, was among those who have been to the school every day since the start of the academic year last week, even though MEC Debbie Schäfer had shut its doors.
Jody said staying home while others across the province went to school was not an option.
“We did not simply want to sit back and do nothing, we wanted to put pressure on the officials, and we wanted our voices to be heard.”
Jordy said there were three primary schools in the area and only the one high school.
Young people from other area had branded some of the pupils from Uitzig as troublemakers and that made it difficult for them to fit into the area, Jordy said.
“We need to think about future generations, and what schools they will be attending,” she said.
Jordy had high praise for the teachers at the school, who she said she knew were dealing with their own stresses, but stayed positive.
Her role model was one her teachers, who Jordy said, always wore a smile and offered the best advice.
“No matter what she goes through, she will always smile. I can ask her about anything and she will give me straight advice. She is my role model,” she said.
The year ahead would undoubtedly be tough on pupils, Jordy said, but they were prepared to give it their best shot.
“I’m not sure myself how I will make it - we are already behind because our classes started today. We will just have to stay focused.”
The quintile 1 school in Elsies River serves some of Cape Town’s poorest and most vulnerable teenagers.
Meanwhile, Schäfer is seeking legal advice on the Western Cape High Court ruling on the reopening of Uitzig High School.
As a result of the court's decision, three teachers will have to teach 100 pupils in five different grades, she told News24.
On Wednesday, Acting Judge Thabani Masuku granted an interim interdict in terms of which the school must be kept open, but only until the Supreme Court of Appeal makes a decision on its future.