Matric pupils have to study in dark

Other grades sent home after Eskom cuts power to agricultural school

Hundreds of pupils at one of the province’s few agricultural high schools have been sitting at home for 10 days because electricity to the school was cut due to nonpayment.

Grade 12 pupils at Phandulwazi Agricultural High School, in Dikeni (formerly Alice) who are preparing for their final examinations, told the Dispatch the school had been without power since Wednesday last week.

Pupils from grades 8 to 11 had been sent home.

A teacher, who cannot be named because they are not authorised to speak to the media, said power was suspended by Eskom after the provincial education department failed to pay the state electricity utility.

The situation has negatively affected pupils who have been writing exams this month.

Classes from grades 8 to 11 were suspended, leaving only the matrics, who are busy writing their trial exams.

Eskom spokesperson Zama Mpondwana confirmed that power to the school had been disconnected due to nonpayment by the provincial department of education.

He said Eskom was engaging with the education department on other overdue school accounts, but did not disclose how much money was owed by the department.

Provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said the matter was under investigation.

“The department has noted this and the district is managing the matter.

“This is because this school is one of the schools that recently received the department’s bailout.

“An investigation by the district office is under way to determine the problem.

“We hope the investigation will provide some clarity on the concerns raised by the district while the matter has been escalated to the provincial department, which is handling it.”

The teacher said that without electricity, staff could not make copies of learning material or connect to the internet.

“There are 342 pupils who have been studying in the dark.

“We cannot print our schedules and learning materials because our computers are off.

“The matrics were busy writing this week.

“The other learners from the lower grades left last week.

“The food in the kitchen cannot be prepared and is going off.

“The whole situation has been poorly handled.

“These children can’t take it any more — they can’t continue like this.

“And what has made things worse is that we do not have a date when the pupils will return to school.

“The pupils need to prepare for their final examinations.

“They are really struggling at the moment.

“We are getting no answers from the department.

“This is really frustrating. Some of the learners will fail their subjects when they could have done better.

“It is also emotionally draining for the children. They look to the teachers for help and there is not much we can do in the current situation.”

A matric pupil who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation said they had been charging their phones and laptops at neighbouring houses.

“We are already facing challenges. And now we have been out of electricity since last week because we were told the department had not paid.

“We really struggle to focus on our studies when there is no electricity.

“We cannot even charge our phones to update our families back home every day on what is happening here.

“Our laptops have been off and we have to charge them from houses in the village.

“There is no clear communication to let students know the direction going forward.

“Pupils in lower grades went home and they also do not know when they will come back to school.

“This is not the first time pupils here are inconvenienced by nonpayment of water and electricity bills.

“We once stayed here for weeks without water.

“We are expected to excel in our studies, even when we live without water and electricity for weeks.”