It has not been a smooth start of the academic year for inland schools with protests, vandalism and crime marring what was supposed to be a happy day for pupils.
In Free State criminals broke into Gonyane Primary School in Mangaung, torched the hall in which stationery for pupils was stored with a petrol bomb, destroying all the books. They also torched the staff room.
Free State education MEC Tate Makgoe said the police have arrested five people in connection with the incident.
“The hall and staff room did not catch a lot of fire, but all the books were damaged,” he said.
In Mpumalanga, parents threatened to disrupt schooling after the province’s education department rationed the provision of stationery at no-fee paying schools, requiring parents to buy additional stationery.
Education spokesperson Jasper Zwane said no pupils would be disadvantaged because they didn’t buy any extra material. He said the rationing was done on the advice of subject experts to eliminate waste.
In Limpopo a community protesting against the merger of two schools barred pupils from attending school.
The education department said the merger was necessary because of the low pupil numbers at those schools.
In Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, parents, civic organisations and political parties disrupted the work at schools and district offices in high pressure areas because of placement problems.
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane on Friday said only 571 Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils – whose parents and guardians submitted complete applications on the online admissions system – remain to be placed. “This translates to 97 Grade 1 learners and 474 Grade 8 learners that departmental officials are working towards placing,” he said.
The protest occurred in Ekurhuleni North, Joburg West and Tshwane West offices.
“In order to alleviate capacity pressure, the GDE is building satellite schools in high-pressure areas.
“These are schools which are an extension of certain high-pressure schools, but are built on a different site or geographical area not far from the main school.
“In Johannesburg West, we have already built a satellite school for Florida High School, meaning that we will continue to place learners at that school.
“The same applies for Tshwane West, where two satellite schools are under construction, Theresapark Primary School No 2 and Theresapark Secondary School.
“Parents who seek to apply for inner grades outside of Grade 1 and Grade 8 are strongly encouraged to visit their nearest GDE district office after our 10-day headcount on January 24,” Chiloane said in a statement.
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