A catch-up program will be implemented for school pupils in Malamulele, the Limpopo education department said on Wednesday.

Pupils lost weeks of schooling during protests in the area. Locals shut down schools as they demanded that government give them their own municipality, separate from the current Thulamela municipality.

They claimed the municipality was channelling services to Tshivenda-speaking areas, rather than their own, which was dominated by Xitsonga speakers.

On January 30, the Municipal Demarcation Board dismissed the residents' application to have a separate municipality.

During the unrest, five schools in the area were torched. The last fire was reported at Nkatini High School in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

On Monday, however, Malamulele residents called off the six-week long protest.

Provincial education spokesman Paena Galane said a decision would be taken on Tuesday on the duration of the catch-up period.

"All stakeholders are going to sit down and agree on the process to be followed, and make sure that we implement that program," said Galane.

On Thursday, acting education MEC Jerry Ndou was expected to lead a delegation to the affected schools to understand their needs and develop a plan.

"We are delivering textbooks. We are dealing with the issue of mobile classes; we are dealing with the issue of teachers," Galane said.