Pupils at a school in Elliotdale have to sit outside in the scorching heat or the cold wind due to a shortage of classrooms.Ngangolwandle Senior Secondary School, one of the best-performing schools in Elliotdale, is so overcrowded that hundreds of pupils in grades 10, 11 and 12 are forced to attend lessons in the open.
As the Daily Dispatch arrived at the school this week, two Grade 12 classes and one Grade 11 class were sitting outside.
A shipping container holding solar panels does not only supply energy to the school but offers much-needed shade for Grade 12 pupils and their teacher, Zintle Mahashini.
About 200m away, another Grade 12 class sat under a canvas shelter which helps on hot days, but not when it is cold and rainy.
A tree nearby is home to Grade 11 pupils. Some were fortunate enough to find chairs, while others sat on tree branches or the ground.
Classrooms are so overcrowded that some pupils have to stand outside while they copy notes from the board inside.
The school cannot afford to build its own classrooms. It currently has six blocks of classrooms, four of which were built by parents.
A total of 3459 pupils attend the school and many of them have substance abuse problems.
SGB deputy chairwoman Nokwakha Magoxo said the situation was dire.
“We need more classrooms ... More than anything we do not have water in the village so there are no taps at the school,” she said.
Provincial Department of Education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said the department was aware of the situation in Ngangolwandle and was addressing the matter, without giving further details. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
Hundreds of pupils learn outside
Ngangolwandle Senior Secondary School, one of the best-performing schools in Elliotdale, is so overcrowded that hundreds of pupils in grades 10, 11 and 12 are forced to attend lessons in the open.
As the Daily Dispatch arrived at the school this week, two Grade 12 classes and one Grade 11 class were sitting outside.
A shipping container holding solar panels does not only supply energy to the school but offers much-needed shade for Grade 12 pupils and their teacher, Zintle Mahashini.
About 200m away, another Grade 12 class sat under a canvas shelter which helps on hot days, but not when it is cold and rainy.
A tree nearby is home to Grade 11 pupils. Some were fortunate enough to find chairs, while others sat on tree branches or the ground.
Classrooms are so overcrowded that some pupils have to stand outside while they copy notes from the board inside.
The school cannot afford to build its own classrooms. It currently has six blocks of classrooms, four of which were built by parents.
A total of 3459 pupils attend the school and many of them have substance abuse problems.
SGB deputy chairwoman Nokwakha Magoxo said the situation was dire.
“We need more classrooms ... More than anything we do not have water in the village so there are no taps at the school,” she said.
Provincial Department of Education spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said the department was aware of the situation in Ngangolwandle and was addressing the matter, without giving further details. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
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