By OBAKENG MAJE
Parents of learners at Setshwarapelo Primary School in Mokgareng village, near Taung said they are bothered about safety of their children at the school as far as COVID-19 is concerned.
This comes after the ‘hazardous’ situation their children are exposed to at the school because of dilapidated buildings and lack of provision of water.
“Our children’s lives are in danger because of dilapidated buildings they are exposed to. There is also no provision of water to wash their hands. The situation there is appalling and we blame the North West Department of Education for being ignorant.
“Mostly affected are Grade 3 learners as their classroom’s ceiling is falling down, while the walls are about to collapse anytime. The department does not take us serious even though we have raised these concerns with them in numerous times,” one parent said.
Another one said: “The department brought few mobile classes which are not conducive for teaching and learning. These mobile classrooms are also not enough because our learners are cooped in mobile classrooms, while department officials work in air-conditioned and well-refurbished offices.
“However, we will continue to engage with the department to ensure that infrastructure is improved at our school. Pupils are demoralized because of the dire situation they are subjected to. The department is slapdash when it comes to our children’s future. Our learners cannot even adhere to COVID-19 regulations because of overcrowding.”
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Education spokesperson, Elias Malindi said the school has been prioritised for building of two blocks in 2021/22 financial year and it is in the planning stage as the scope has been done.
“However not all the blocks had cracks as there is a solid block. We have also provided seven new mobile classrooms and awaiting four additional mobiles to make it eleven. The old buildings are not used since the learners moved back after the provision of mobiles.
“Currently, there is a borehole project for the school and 10% of Section 21 must be used for a falling ceiling. All schools have been allocated this budget precisely to make minor repairs. A ceiling will be attended with the 10% of the infrastructure budget allocated to the school,” he said.
Recently, the department reported that more than 2000 teachers and more than 1000 learners across the province tested positive for COVID-19.
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