THE dispute between the community of Silvermine village in Limpopo and the provincial department of education has taken a dramatic turn.
Yesterday the principal of Selowe Primary School announced that the community has decided to sue the government for failing to recognise their children's rights to education.
The principal, Evans Seanego, accused the department of going against the Constitution of the country.
"Every child has a right to education, and our children are no different. Education is a right and not a privilege in this country," Seanego said.
He said the community had approached the Section 27 lawyers, including those from the Legal Aid Board with a view to challenging the department's refusal to recognise the school, thereby denying their children the right to a proper education.
"Our view is that we must force the department, through the lawyers to build a school for the community, while at the same time suing it for misplacing our application papers for a school," he explained.
Both Seanego and 13 of the teachers at the school are not getting any salary from the department since the school is not recognised.
The school accommodates 165 pupils from Grade R to 7, most of whom learn under trees because there are no classrooms.
Earlier this week, the provincial department of education threatened to sue the community for running an illegal school.
Departmental spokesman Pat Kgomo had earlier revealed that the process of recognising the school was under way and that a proper school would be build by next year.
The community established Selowe Primary School earlier this year after the scholar transport that took their children to school at a nearby village was stopped. The parents said they were doing this for the safety of their children after some pupils were almost raped on their way to school.
Kgomo said the department was prepared to provide scholar transport. However, parents have declined the offer, insisting that the department recognise the school with immediate effect.
Yesterday Seanego said they were "not in any way" going to accept the department's offer of a scholar transport to take their children to the schools in the two neighbouring villages.
Seanego also said they had already received offers from various companies and individual business people to assist them build the school.
"So far we are grateful for the generosity shown by Good Samaritans who want to build our children a school. We wish this could be done soonest," he said.
On Wednesday, provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance Desiree van der Walt visited the school with a view to gain first-hand information about the hardship the villagers were subjected to as a result of lack of school.
After her visit, Van der Walt acknowledged that the department would not be in a position to build schools in every village, and said she would do her utmost best to convince parents in the village to accept the department's offer of a scholar transport.
Kgomo could not be reached for comment yesterday.
.
Community man at heart with eduction as his centre
EVANS Maselaelo Seanego, 30, was born on March 15 1982 and grew up in Silvermine village, Senwabarwana (formerly Bochum) in Limpopo.
His first school was Kgwale Primary School, situated at Kgwale village, 4km away from Silvermine, which he attended until 1995.
There was no school in Silvermine.
Seanego then went to Ramotlhakana Secondary School in Driekoppies village in 1996, until he completed matric in 2000.
The following year, in 2001, he ventured to Gauteng in search of work, and stayed with his brother in Soshanguve.
He found his first job in 2003 at Techno-Force Security, and worked there until 2006, when his contract came to an end.
In March 2007, Seanego started working for Changing Tides Security Services in Thembisa, based at the Ekurhuleni Municipality.
He worked here until 2009.
Realising the hardships children in his community faced in terms of accessing school, he returned home to assist.
Seanego accompanied pupils from his community to Kgwale to provide protection.
He would also walk to the school to guard them when walking home after school.
He has a son, whose mother has since died, who is in Grade 1 at Selowe Primary.
He stays with his mother, son, three younger brothers and a younger sister.
His two brothers are married and stay in their respective homes in Gauteng.
Tree school parents to sue - Recognise us or else
THE dispute between the community of Silvermine village in Limpopo and the provincial department of education has taken a dramatic turn.
Yesterday the principal of Selowe Primary School announced that the community has decided to sue the government for failing to recognise their children's rights to education.
The principal, Evans Seanego, accused the department of going against the Constitution of the country.
"Every child has a right to education, and our children are no different. Education is a right and not a privilege in this country," Seanego said.
He said the community had approached the Section 27 lawyers, including those from the Legal Aid Board with a view to challenging the department's refusal to recognise the school, thereby denying their children the right to a proper education.
"Our view is that we must force the department, through the lawyers to build a school for the community, while at the same time suing it for misplacing our application papers for a school," he explained.
Both Seanego and 13 of the teachers at the school are not getting any salary from the department since the school is not recognised.
The school accommodates 165 pupils from Grade R to 7, most of whom learn under trees because there are no classrooms.
Earlier this week, the provincial department of education threatened to sue the community for running an illegal school.
Departmental spokesman Pat Kgomo had earlier revealed that the process of recognising the school was under way and that a proper school would be build by next year.
The community established Selowe Primary School earlier this year after the scholar transport that took their children to school at a nearby village was stopped. The parents said they were doing this for the safety of their children after some pupils were almost raped on their way to school.
Kgomo said the department was prepared to provide scholar transport. However, parents have declined the offer, insisting that the department recognise the school with immediate effect.
Yesterday Seanego said they were "not in any way" going to accept the department's offer of a scholar transport to take their children to the schools in the two neighbouring villages.
Seanego also said they had already received offers from various companies and individual business people to assist them build the school.
"So far we are grateful for the generosity shown by Good Samaritans who want to build our children a school. We wish this could be done soonest," he said.
On Wednesday, provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance Desiree van der Walt visited the school with a view to gain first-hand information about the hardship the villagers were subjected to as a result of lack of school.
After her visit, Van der Walt acknowledged that the department would not be in a position to build schools in every village, and said she would do her utmost best to convince parents in the village to accept the department's offer of a scholar transport.
Kgomo could not be reached for comment yesterday.
.
Community man at heart with eduction as his centre
EVANS Maselaelo Seanego, 30, was born on March 15 1982 and grew up in Silvermine village, Senwabarwana (formerly Bochum) in Limpopo.
His first school was Kgwale Primary School, situated at Kgwale village, 4km away from Silvermine, which he attended until 1995.
There was no school in Silvermine.
Seanego then went to Ramotlhakana Secondary School in Driekoppies village in 1996, until he completed matric in 2000.
The following year, in 2001, he ventured to Gauteng in search of work, and stayed with his brother in Soshanguve.
He found his first job in 2003 at Techno-Force Security, and worked there until 2006, when his contract came to an end.
In March 2007, Seanego started working for Changing Tides Security Services in Thembisa, based at the Ekurhuleni Municipality.
He worked here until 2009.
Realising the hardships children in his community faced in terms of accessing school, he returned home to assist.
Seanego accompanied pupils from his community to Kgwale to provide protection.
He would also walk to the school to guard them when walking home after school.
He has a son, whose mother has since died, who is in Grade 1 at Selowe Primary.
He stays with his mother, son, three younger brothers and a younger sister.
His two brothers are married and stay in their respective homes in Gauteng.
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