KAROO NEWS - Horatio Hendricks, MEC Eastern Cape Legislature Department of Education, has sent an urgent request to the Eastern Cape Department of Education to address the appalling conditions at Phakama-Hofmeyr Senior Secondary School and four other schools in the province.
He says extreme vandalism and neglect are rife at these schools.
Irate matriculants
This follows after parents and staff members of Phakama-Hofmeyr Senior Secondary School were caught off-guard during a student governing body meeting on Friday 4 August when the 16 irate matriculants locked teachers in the staffroom.
They reverted to this extreme action because of a severe teacher shortage at the school. The school had only three teachers for 180 learners, but since August two positions have been filled with the appointment of an Afrikaans teacher and a computer technology teacher.
In 2010 the school boasted 350 learners and 14 teachers.
Councillor Buti Quqa from the Enoch Mgijima Municipality visited the school when he heard of the lockup and also notified the Education MEC, Fundile Gade. The teachers were eventually released after the locks used by the matrics were cut with a grinder.
Teacher scarcity
A 18-year-old learner who spoke to the Advertiser on condition of anonymity, complained that they are in the final stretch of their school career without adequate support. "There simply aren't enough teachers to guide us to the exam."
The majority of teachers do not reside in Hofmeyr and commute on a weekly basis. "Naturally, these teachers remain on the lookout for positions to places where they can stay with their families," says Siyabulela Thamsanqa Qelo, the school's principal.
Report from Hendricks
Horatio Hendricks, MPL Shadow MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape, shared his report about the conditions at the schools with the Advertiser.
"Massive vandalism and neglect are a part of the schools I visited. Phakama-Hofmeyr Senior Secondary School is on a shared space. A new school for Phakama was intended but was never built, yet the budget was spent," he states in his report.
"The haphazard fencing allows learners to roam freely during school hours and presents a general safety issue. Ablution facilities pose a health and safety hazard and are not fit for use. Water supply is non-existent and electricity feed is irregular, indicating faulty wires presenting a huge fire risk."
Hendricks requested the department to take urgent action. "This will not, however, assist current matriculants on their way to their final school exams," he concludes.
At the time of going to press Hendricks had received no reply from the minister, but undertook to keep the Advertiser in the loop.
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