Pic: Chairperson of Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa, NEC member for Sanco, Motlalepule Rosho and Dr Tutu Faleni

BY STAFF REPORTER
TAUNG- THE Portfolio Committee on Basic education in the North West province visited Seoleseng Secondary School in Vaaltyn village, near Taung on Friday to assess the state of readiness for the 2015 school year as well as monitoring teaching and learning progress so far.

Some of those who were part of the visit were Chairwoman of the Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa, Members of the Portfolio Committee Motlalepule Rosho and Jeanett Dibetso-Nyathi.

The Portfolio Committee visited the school after its re-opening. The school was closed by. The department of Education in North West, but reversed their decision after the community embarked on a protest.

The visit also seek the investigation that led to the department of Education in their attempt to close down the school due to rationalization.

The Chairwoman of the Portfolio Committee, Boitumelo Moiloa said she hope that viable solutions will be found.

The Portfolio Committee interacted with the interim principal of the school, School Governing Body members(SGB), Circuit Manager Mojakhudu Dithejane and concerned members of South African Civic Organisation(Sanco).

“What is important to this committee is ensuring that children of this country receive quality education that will unlock doors of prosperity and meaningfully contribute to the fight against the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and equality” she said.

According to Circuit Manager, Mojakhudu Dithejane the school has only four teachers including principal and two of the teachers have only primary qualifications.

The qualifications of teachers came to light after Grade 10 was introduced at the school, but Dithejane said the school was granted that opportunity temporarily.

“The school was granted to have Grade 10 temporarily and we will monitor the school and take decision afterwards. The school has only four teachers including the principal and some of them have only primary qualifications, but we decided to workshop them until their contracts come to the ends as most of them are of foreign nations” Dithejane said.

However the South African Civic Organisation said the department must come up with strategic plan to see that those 120 pupils at the school receive quality education.

“The department must make sure that they hire more teachers so that those pupils receive quality education. We welcome Portfolio Committee’s oversight visit and hope that when they bring feedback, it will be positive” Sanco Coordinator in the province, James Gadinabokao said.

Portfolio Committee member, Jeanett Dibetso-Nyathi said the committee will also visit underperforming schools within the identified districts to ensure that major shortcomings do not recur in the 2015 school year.