Dilapidated, derelict classes await pupils

Broken toilets and windows, schools damaged by storms, overcrowded classes, doors that are hanging off their hinges, and dilapidated school infrastructure.

These are some of the conditions that await thousands of pupils as they head back to school this morning. The dire conditions are mirrored mostly in townships and have left parents worried about the safety of their children.

At Kliptown Primary School in Soweto, the school uses mobile classrooms after the deterioration of the original asbestos structure. . Both the staff and pupils use the same mobile toilets and the school has no water supply.

Some parents have vowed to shut down the school today in protest over what they say are unacceptable, "filthy conditions and dilapidation of the school infrastructure".

"All we want is basic necessities... proper toilets for our learners and educators and water. We will shut the school down because no learner can endure such conditions. If the say we must wait until February, then the children will return in February," said an SGB members who preferred to remain anonymous.

At Thabo Secondary School, also in Soweto, most windows on the lower floor are broken and patched with newspapers and plastics. Some classrooms have no doors and out of three toilets, only one is working.

A few kilometers away at Emdelwa Hlongwane Primary School, parents said they were doubtful their children will return to proper functioning toilets and classrooms on Wednesday. 

One of the parents, Precious Mazibuko, said they have been fighting the issue of bucket toilets since 2022 when her children would complain that toilets are broken  and not flushing, and they are scared to use them. 

Another parent raised the issue of overcrowding, saying the school continues to take a large number of pupils despite its deteriorating infrastructure.  

You find 60 learners in one class and most of these classes have falling ceiling, broken windows patched with plastic, and toilets are disgusting," said Zamokuhle Sibiya, a parent of a grade 3 pupil.

At Noordgesig Secondary School, identified by the Gauteng department of basic education as having about 13 classrooms built with asbestos, pupils have been  attending classes on a rotational basis since 2023. 

A fire that broke out in July last year at the school destroyed five classroom and an administration block. 

SGB member Ravern Martin said the school did receive 19 mobile classrooms, however, they are not enough.

“With the new students coming in, I am afraid that we might have to go back to rotational classes because some of the classes that we do have don’t have electricity, and some leak when it rains, and it’s hard to teach students in these conditions,” said Martin. 

"For a school listed as a heritage site, it’s a mess. It's not ready for students,” said Martin. 

While one of the department of basic education's guidelines is that no class should have more than 40 pupils, especially depending on the size, many schools in SA battle with overcrowding.

In August last year, MEC for education Matome Chiloane stated they have been allocated a budget of R65,8bn, and that over R1,6bn of that was targeted at building 17 new schools through the Gauteng department of infrastructure development,.

Schools are expected to be impacted further following an announcement of proposed budget cuts in the education sector.

The storm that hit many parts of the country late last year left a trail of destruction in Limpopo and damaged 137 schools.

The provincial department of education said preliminary reports estimate the damage to be more than R550m. Over 100 mobile classrooms were expected to be delivered at various schools.

In Mpumalanga, 87 schools were damaged by storms and 13 in the Free State.

Education expert Prof Gezani Baloyi from Unisa   said the budget cut has the potential to harm the right to basic education.

"Some schools will be without resources. If we have a budget cut we won't be able to sustain quality education, which means it will have a negative impact on the sustainability of good results," said Baloyi.

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