The first day of the 2016 school year got off to a slow start in most schools in and around Mthatha, as teachers had to contend with last-minute rushes from desperate parents wanting to register their children.These schools, however were fortunate to have pupils turn up, unlike Mditshwa Senior Secondary School in Ncambele village about 20km outside Mthatha, where only the teachers and a handful of pupils arrived yesterday.
The school’s acting principal Phumzile Sifo said this was normal as parents first took their children to schools in urban areas in an effort to enrol them.
“They only come back here if they don’t find a place in those schools. Some are still in places like Cape Town on holiday. Some will even come back to school after a month,” he said.
Although he declined to reveal his school’s matric pass rate, Sifo conceded that they had registered a drop.
“This has a huge impact and contributes to the school’s failure rate,” he added.
At the neighbouring Ncambele Junior Secondary School, a group of parents waited for their children’s report cards.
Noluvuyo Bhudu, who has three children at the school, said she was unable to fetch the cards at the end of last year because they were required to pay R280 before they could get them.
She said they were told the money was for teachers employed in school governing body posts.
“I don’t work so I can’t afford to pay that kind of money for each child.
“And if a child loses a textbook, you also have to pay R100 for that as well. But most of us are poor.”
Attempts to get a comment from the school were unsuccessful yesterday as the Dispatch was told by teachers that the principal was not there.
However, in Nyangilizwe Senior Secondary School in Ngolo village outside Mthatha – which grabbed headlines in May when thugs attacked and stabbed a pupil in front of schoolmates and teachers – classes had already started when the Dispatch arrived shortly after 9am.
The school dropped from a matric pass rate of around 60% to less than 40%.
The principal could not be reached for comment as he was locked in a meeting with officials from the department of education.
At EW Pearce Junior Secondary in Ncambedlana, schooling resumed with a handful of parents queuing patiently for a place for their children.
At Atwell Madala High School more than 10 parents and pupils were queuing inside the school.
But several teachers were busy with lessons inside classrooms.
Principal Yalelwa Mfecane said they had decided to open schools last week to cater for the last-minute rush and long queues.
“But as you can see there are a few parents who are still trying to get places for their children,” said Mfecane.
Her school received three additional prefab classes to cater for the incoming grades 8 and 9 as part of the government’s rationalisation programme. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Rural school still waiting for pupils
These schools, however were fortunate to have pupils turn up, unlike Mditshwa Senior Secondary School in Ncambele village about 20km outside Mthatha, where only the teachers and a handful of pupils arrived yesterday.
The school’s acting principal Phumzile Sifo said this was normal as parents first took their children to schools in urban areas in an effort to enrol them.
“They only come back here if they don’t find a place in those schools. Some are still in places like Cape Town on holiday. Some will even come back to school after a month,” he said.
Although he declined to reveal his school’s matric pass rate, Sifo conceded that they had registered a drop.
“This has a huge impact and contributes to the school’s failure rate,” he added.
At the neighbouring Ncambele Junior Secondary School, a group of parents waited for their children’s report cards.
Noluvuyo Bhudu, who has three children at the school, said she was unable to fetch the cards at the end of last year because they were required to pay R280 before they could get them.
She said they were told the money was for teachers employed in school governing body posts.
“I don’t work so I can’t afford to pay that kind of money for each child.
“And if a child loses a textbook, you also have to pay R100 for that as well. But most of us are poor.”
Attempts to get a comment from the school were unsuccessful yesterday as the Dispatch was told by teachers that the principal was not there.
However, in Nyangilizwe Senior Secondary School in Ngolo village outside Mthatha – which grabbed headlines in May when thugs attacked and stabbed a pupil in front of schoolmates and teachers – classes had already started when the Dispatch arrived shortly after 9am.
The school dropped from a matric pass rate of around 60% to less than 40%.
The principal could not be reached for comment as he was locked in a meeting with officials from the department of education.
At EW Pearce Junior Secondary in Ncambedlana, schooling resumed with a handful of parents queuing patiently for a place for their children.
At Atwell Madala High School more than 10 parents and pupils were queuing inside the school.
But several teachers were busy with lessons inside classrooms.
Principal Yalelwa Mfecane said they had decided to open schools last week to cater for the last-minute rush and long queues.
“But as you can see there are a few parents who are still trying to get places for their children,” said Mfecane.
Her school received three additional prefab classes to cater for the incoming grades 8 and 9 as part of the government’s rationalisation programme. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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