Parents, learners stage protest outside dilapidated Setumo Khiba Secondary School

A file picture of pupils protesting at Setumo Khiba Secondary School in Mabopane. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)

A file picture of pupils protesting at Setumo Khiba Secondary School in Mabopane. Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)

Published May 18, 2022

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Pretoria - A lack of chairs and tables, overcrowded classrooms, broken windows and doors and an ineffective feeding scheme led to the disruption of learning and teaching at Setumo Khiba Secondary School in Block B, Mabopane, on Monday.

Parents and learners chanted outside the school, saying there would be no schooling until these issues, among them the lack of scholar transportation and equipment, had been solved.

The learners carried banners reading: “We want chairs and tables; we give you three days to respond”.

Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Steve Mabona said officials visited Setumo Khiba concerning the issues raised.

“Furniture has been ordered and will be delivered this week. We pleaded with parents to allow schooling to proceed and they have agreed,” said Mabona.

A Grade 12 learner at the school said their main concern was not having tables and chairs, yet they were expected to write exams and do school work. “We write on our laps, and as Grade 12s we are going to start writing our exams. This issue affects all learners,” the learner said.

The learner also stressed the overcrowding in classrooms and raised concerns over Covid-19. The learners said the feeding scheme was not effective; some went to class on empty stomachs and sat in classrooms with broken windows and doors. Fencing was also a major problem.

Another learner said the broken windows had to be attended to as soon as possible as winter was around the corner and learners would not be able to concentrate in class.

A protesting mother said the school governing body had sent emails, but the relevant officials were silent on the issues raised.

“We are tired of empty promises.”

Pretoria News