Teachers at a newly established school in Mthatha use the toilet as their staffroom while pupils are taught in a tent and what used to be the offices of a construction company.
Esethu Primary School in Mthatha’s Maiden Farm is one of many schools that does not have classrooms in the Eastern Cape.
The school was officially opened last month after the community called for its establishment.
While there is a plot available for permanent classrooms made from brick and mortar, the school is expecting prefabricated classrooms from the department of education.
When the school was first established, teachers used prefabs meant to be occupied by recipients of RDP houses.
There were no toilets or fencing for the school as they were housed in a temporary settlement.
Resident Bongani Mahlathi alerted the media about the school’s condition.
“The main thing that disturbed me was when the kids were being taught in temporary RDP homes in the middle of an informal settlement. There was no fencing, toilets or water.
“When I visited the school once, I found a drunk man standing in the doorway of one of the classrooms teasing the kids. I could not sit and watch while our children were put in such conditions.”
When the Daily Dispatch visited the school last week, Grade 1 pupils were in a tent outside in 31°C heat.
Others were in small classrooms while in the toilet area, which is used as a staff room, teachers put in three desks on which they work.
The setup partially blocks access to basins for washing hands and the smell coming from the toilets makes it difficult for one to spend more than five minutes in the area, but the teachers have to sit there the whole day doing their work.
The Grade R class is accommodated in a flat built in a bushy area.
One of the school’s teachers, Bonginkosi Madikizela, said the department had promised prefab classrooms before the end of this month.
“The department said we would receive five classrooms and toilets to accommodate all the grades. Currently Grades R to 3 are in their own classrooms while Grade 4 and 5 are in one classroom. We do have a site where the new classrooms will be placed.”
Education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said there was a list of schools earmarked to receive temporary structures.
“There are schools that need urgent attention and those are the schools that will be given temporary structures but there is a plan to set up permanent structures.
“In some schools delivery will start this week,” Pulumani said.
Nightmare of no classrooms
Esethu Primary School in Mthatha’s Maiden Farm is one of many schools that does not have classrooms in the Eastern Cape.
The school was officially opened last month after the community called for its establishment.
While there is a plot available for permanent classrooms made from brick and mortar, the school is expecting prefabricated classrooms from the department of education.
When the school was first established, teachers used prefabs meant to be occupied by recipients of RDP houses.
There were no toilets or fencing for the school as they were housed in a temporary settlement.
Resident Bongani Mahlathi alerted the media about the school’s condition.
“The main thing that disturbed me was when the kids were being taught in temporary RDP homes in the middle of an informal settlement. There was no fencing, toilets or water.
“When I visited the school once, I found a drunk man standing in the doorway of one of the classrooms teasing the kids. I could not sit and watch while our children were put in such conditions.”
When the Daily Dispatch visited the school last week, Grade 1 pupils were in a tent outside in 31°C heat.
Others were in small classrooms while in the toilet area, which is used as a staff room, teachers put in three desks on which they work.
The setup partially blocks access to basins for washing hands and the smell coming from the toilets makes it difficult for one to spend more than five minutes in the area, but the teachers have to sit there the whole day doing their work.
The Grade R class is accommodated in a flat built in a bushy area.
One of the school’s teachers, Bonginkosi Madikizela, said the department had promised prefab classrooms before the end of this month.
“The department said we would receive five classrooms and toilets to accommodate all the grades. Currently Grades R to 3 are in their own classrooms while Grade 4 and 5 are in one classroom. We do have a site where the new classrooms will be placed.”
Education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said there was a list of schools earmarked to receive temporary structures.
“There are schools that need urgent attention and those are the schools that will be given temporary structures but there is a plan to set up permanent structures.
“In some schools delivery will start this week,” Pulumani said.
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