Pretoria - Teaching and learning resumed yesterday at Sediba Sa Thuto Primary School in Mamelodi, which had been closed down by parents and the community at the end of May due to overcrowding.
It was the second time the school was shut down this year due to a variety of issues, among them lack of tables and chairs, and improper roads and bridge across a nearby river.
School governing body chairperson Tebogo Selemela said pupils resumed learning and parents were happy with the progress made by the Department of Education to rectify some of the issues.
“Three mobile classrooms were delivered on Monday and are being installed. We are so happy that at least overcrowding will be lessened.”
Selemela said they were relieved that learners had returned to class after missing more than a month of schooling.
Member of the governing body Mmapula Lekgetho said there were other developments, such as the repair of some of the existing classrooms.
However, not all parents were happy, among them, Thulani Mabena, who said despite mobile classrooms being installed, they still wanted a brick and mortar school.
“Our children need to write tests and exams, that is why we asked the department to bring the mobile classrooms for now while the process of building classrooms is in motion.
“We will be happy and clap our hands when we see a mortar and brick school on the premises.”
Mabena said they were, however, relieved that the learners were back at school learning and not “sitting on crates as they used to”.
This was a step towards the level of education environment they deserved, he added.
“We are happy there will no longer be overcrowding, and that they will be divided accordingly, because the situation was untenable. They were thrown into classrooms irrespective of the grade they were in.”
Mabena thanked parents for “the good fight” that showed the importance of education.
“They fought for their children, next year they will be taught inside bricks and mortar (classrooms).
“To those that discouraged us, we thank them also. They gave us the strength to do this and we would not be here if it was not for them.
“We wanted to prove to them that these are our children and we need to care for them.”
Mabena said they would continue to fight for other developments at the school.
DA provincial spokesperson on education, Khume Ramulifho, went to the school yesterday morning and found the department had delivered mobile classrooms and cleared the area deemed to be unsafe.
Speaking after the oversight visit, he said: “I am urging parents to support the teachers and learners so that they can catch up and finish the curriculum. Whenever there are differences with the department, they must find another way to resolve them, not disrupting learning and teaching.”
The department had yet to comment on the situation late yesterday.
Pretoria News