A group of unplaced Grade 8 pupils started their first school day at Hartswater High School on Tuesday after community members demonstrated outside the premises on Monday.
A GROUP of unplaced Grade 8 pupils started their first school day at Hartswater High School on Tuesday after community members demonstrated outside the premises on Monday.
The pupils have been at home for almost a week since the start of the new academic year.
Following a visit by the HOD for the Northern Cape Department of Education, Moira Marais, to the school on Monday, FF+ PR councillor Estelle Davies said the pupils were excited to join their peers.
“The pupils are temporarily being accommodated in the school hall until the Department of Education arranges for two mobile classrooms that are equipped with air conditioners to be delivered at the school,” said Davies.
She added that 20 pupils were accepted at the school.
“The HOD said learning material would be provided to the pupils in the meantime so that they would not fall behind in their studies. Additional teachers will also be appointed to assist.”
The school governing body (SGB) on Monday indicated that they were willing to accommodate the unplaced pupils although they did not have the available space or resources to place them.
“Mobile classrooms, coupled with load shedding where fans do not work, become too hot to teach in. People died in Kakamas because of heatstroke and we do not want this to happen to the pupils.
“The biggest challenge is the provision of ablution blocks, especially for girls.”
The SGB added that the school was in the process of building five additional classrooms.
“The first Grade 8 English-medium class was introduced last year. Without additional resources we would only be able to accommodate another five more pupils. Admissions are done strictly according to the names that are submitted by the Department of Education.”
Parents on Monday complained of ill-treatment and racism where their children were being denied access to learning.
“Our children were crying when their names were not read out last week. They are hiding when they see their fellow classmates on their way to school in the morning and feel ashamed.
“Hartswater High School is the only English-medium school in Hartswater. We cannot send our children to Landbou Hoerskool in Jan Kempdorp as transport is too costly. It would mean that they will have to wake up at the crack of dawn to be on time for school.”
The parents were prepared to allow their children to be taught outside under a tree.
“We don’t mind if they are placed in a hot mobile classroom or if they have to attend an overcrowded class, as long as they can go to school.”
They explained that they had applied timeously online last year.
“The online admission system was continually crashing and we are still waiting for confirmation messages from the department.”
Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said engagements were still ongoing.
