Pupils shut down school

PUPILS at Dikgatlong High School in Delportshoop stopped all teaching at the school yesterday and Monday after they accused the Northern Cape Department of Education of failing to provide sufficient teachers for the school.

Classes at other schools in the area were also disrupted yesterday.

Boitshepi Aasvoel, the chairperson of Cosas and a Grade 12 pupil at the school, said on Monday morning that a month after schools had reopened for the 2019 academic year there were still insufficient teachers to cover all the subjects offered.

“We still do not have teachers for Maths, English, Technology and Geography for grades 8, 9 and 10.”

He added that the decision to close the school followed a meeting with the principal, the circuit manager and the school governing body (SGB) last week.

“We received no response from the circuit manager and therefore we will not allow any teaching to take place until this issue has been addressed.

“The pupils in these grades have already missed five weeks of classes and yet they are expected to perform when it comes to the examinations.”

Aasvoel said that this appeared to be an ongoing problem at the school. “Every year there is a shortage of teachers and we have to toyi-toyi and protest before the department (of Education) addresses the issue and sends more teachers.

“The department does not take the school seriously.”

Aasvoel added that as soon as the shortage of teachers was addressed, the pupils would return to school. “We just want an education, like everyone else.”

Yesterday, the pupils from Dikgatlong High School also disrupted classes at other schools in the area.

Northern Cape Education Department spokesperson, Lehuma Ntuane, said yesterday that the district was in the process of addressing all requests from schools for additional teachers.

“The Frances Baard district office met on Monday afternoon to look at the need for additional teaching posts,” said Ntuane.

He stated that a decision had been taken to appoint two additional teachers at Dikgatlong High School.

“Normally there is a human resources process that needs to be followed with teacher appointments but in light of the situation at the school, where pupils from Dikgatlong High School also disrupted teaching at other schools, it was decided to appoint two additional teachers immediately. The human resources process will follow.”

Ntuane, however, warned that principals had been instructed by the department that if there was any destruction of property, the necessary steps had to be take to involve the authorities, including the police.

“We can no longer carry the costs of infrastructure damage as a result of protests and disruptions.”