How schools have fared, nine years on

Putuma

When GroundUp visited Putuma Junior Secondary School in the Mbhashe municipality in 2013, there were 110 pupils in grade 9.

The then deputy principal, Zukile Gana said 24 teachers and 1,175 pupils were enrolled.

Some of the pupils were sitting on concrete building blocks.

When we visited in April, deputy principal Thabisa Kalipa told GroundUp the children no longer sat on blocks.

The department provided enough desks and also brought three prefabricated classrooms.

Two mobile classrooms and a library were provided by an outside organisation.

But overcrowding is still an issue. The school still has 24 teachers; 15 classrooms are shared by 922 pupils from grade R to 9.

Kalipa says the school has been advised by the department to reduce enrolment numbers.

“But that is not easy because many schools were shut down.”

“The classes are overcrowded, noisy and there is no concentration. In fundamental subjects like maths and languages they lack the basics,” she said.

When GroundUp visited, younger pupils were relieving themselves in an open field next to the classrooms while the teachers were busy with lessons.

Two blocks of flush toilets had been vandalised. Pupils in grades 5 to 9 were using the old pit latrine toilets which are filthy.

“As for water, we depend on rain because our borehole is not functioning.”

Sea View

Not far from Putuma is another school in desperate need — Sea View Senior Secondary.

In 2013, this grade 10 to 12 high school had 278 pupils and eight teachers of whom only two were permanent, according to principal Vukile Masinyana.

“We are struggling to raise funds to finish a building which we want to turn into a classroom,” Masinyana said then.

In 2013, when GroundUp visited a grade 12 classroom — a hall separated by a broken wooden sliding door — volunteer business studies teacher Bongeka Bhungane was writing the contents of a textbook on the blackboard because there were no textbooks available.

When GroundUp returned to the school last month, there was still a shortage of textbooks and some teachers were photocopying textbooks.

Nolitha Sokwepa, deputy principal, told GroundUp that proper learning and teaching was difficult.

“Our school is overcrowded. We have 799 learners in 11 classrooms. The school was built in 1995 with five brick classrooms. Four of them have leaking roofs.

“Parents, out of their pockets, built four additional classrooms and two prefabricated classrooms were donated.”

One grade 10 class had 101 learners and another 115 learners.

“In 2019 our, matric pass rate was 62% then it dropped to 48% in 2020 and 47% in 2021.”

The school is conducting evening classes. 

The learners’ toilets buzz with flies and the girls do not use them.

“We have 10 pit toilets for learners and two for staff. But they are filthy and overflowing.

“A new project for 26 toilets started in August and was expected to be finished in November. But it stopped in February and I heard rumours that the contractor was not paid,” she said.

Ntapane

Ntapane Senior Secondary School is about 20km outside Mthatha.

When GroundUp visited in 2013, one grade 9 class had 138 pupils.

“We are really struggling,” said teacher Lulama Genge, whose class had 102 pupils.

“There is just no space but we do the best we can,” Genge said then.

“We are very disappointed because nothing has changed since that visit,” deputy principal Lakhe Pikiso told GroundUp in April.

“Instead our school is faced with overcrowding, water and sanitation problems.

“We have 974 learners from grade R to 9. They share 13 classrooms. Eight are made of brick and five are prefab. Each class has about 80 learners.

There are also problems with the supply of textbooks.

Pikiso says the toilets are also a big problem .

“We have 10 flush toilets and all of them are faulty. Six of those toilets are used by learners. We use buckets with water to flush them.

Boys make use of pit latrines, so girls can use the flush toilets.

Pikiso says a former pupil has stepped in to rescue the school.

“In 2019 Sisa, Ngebulana, our former learner and businessman, donated R1.5m to build eight classrooms,” he said.

The project is still in progress.

The department’s response

In response, Malibongwe Mtima, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape department of education, commented on the state of the schools.

On Ntapane Junior Secondary School: “During the 2016-2017 financial year seven prefabs were supplied to this school. Currently, there is a donation of 10 new brick and mortar classrooms.”

On Nyangilizwe Senior Secondary School: “During the 2017-2018 financial year this school received prefabs from the department. During the last financial year towards the end of February, a contractor was introduced to the school to provide water and sanitation which is still under construction.”

Mtima did not respond to our questions about Sea View Senior Secondary and Putuma Junior Secondary School. 

GroundUp