No learning at school in Limpopo due to collapsed roof and wall
We are not aware of situation – province
While the majority of schools started classes yesterday, pupils at a Limpopo school were left stranded.
Schooling could not take place at Mohloping Primary School in Motloulela Zone 1, a rural village 75km northwest of Burgersfort, after the entire roof of the building was blown away by strong winds last year.
The school, which was built by the community in 1989, onAfrikaans-medium ly has one block of three classrooms.
It caters for pupils from the villages of Sehunyane, Sebepe and Motloulela Zone 1, 2 and 3 with a total population of about 2 000 households.
There are 240 pupils between Grades R and 7.
Strong winds destroyed the roof on November 15, leaving pupils and teachers frustrated as they had nowhere else to go. When Sowetan visited the school yesterday, pupils were playing on the sports grounds as the only tree inside the premises was not big enough for lessons to be conducted un- der it. Books were scattered all over the classrooms, with broken furniture lying around. The wall of one of the classrooms had also collapsed.
According to chairwoman of the school governing body, Lucy Kgwedi, the provincial department of education had initially advised them to close down the school.
She said it had promised to deliver mobile classrooms. However, Kgwedi said, they were taken aback when the department ordered teachers and pupils to return to the school this year without mobile classrooms.
According to teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity, the department had told them to draw up a list of items they needed to be fixed speedily.
“But, up to so far only exercise books have been delivered. No textbooks or any other material has been delivered.”
Provincial education department spokesman Sam Makondo said he did not know about the problems faced by the school.
“We are going to send our officials from the infrastructure unit to assess the situation and see what kind of intervention is needed,” he said.