TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR HANDS
Pupils repair school’s roof
AFTER numerous pleas to the authorities to fix their school fell on deaf ears, pupils at Letsiri Primary School decided to do something about it.
They did what the department of education, with a budget that runs into millions, failed to do.
They decided to fix the leaking roof of their school themselves.
The school at GaPhaahla near Jane Furse in Limpopo, is among the five in the village which are in a shocking state and require urgent attention.
The village chief, Letsiri Phaahla, said the poor state of the schools had led to an exodus of pupils. Phaahla said parents, worried about the safety of their children, were now moving them to schools in other areas.
The situation at Letsiri is so dire that the school needs a complete overhaul. Apart from the leaking roof, classrooms have no window panes, doors are not closing as locks have been broken, there are no chalkboards and the cement floors are full of holes.
According to authorities at the school, the situation had been like that for the past six years.
Other schools in the village experiencing similar challenges are Mantlatle, Ngwanamashile and Kgapyane secondary schools, and Saboshego Primary School.
Kgapyane and Saboshego have since closed after parents raised fears of safety for their children. Phaahla said he was growing impatient with the slow pace of the government.
“Government knows our challenges and they have every detail about what needs to be done,” said Phaahla.
Spokesperson Paena Galane admitted the province knew bout the schools ’ conditions and that the needs audits had begun.