The provincial department of education says a recovery plan will only be developed once the pupils are allowed to go back to class. Parents have accused the department of neglecting Magubha which they said was built by the community in 1970. They said over the years, the school has been falling apart and poses a danger to their children. "We have been complaining about the structure of the school which poses a danger to the children but we have not been listened to," said parent Germs Ngwamba. "Last year, the department told parents from Driekopies Combined School to move their children at primary level and register them at Magubha. "We raised the issue about the structure and overcrowding at Magubhal and the department said they will bring mobile classes before January. "When schools reopened in January, there were no mobile classrooms and the number of pupils per class increased. We thought the department was working on a plan for these issues but months went by without any feedback. "In July, we decided to close the school," said Ngwamba. Sipho Shongwe, whose son goes to Joseph Matsebula Secondary, told Sowetan that after seeing pupils from Magubha Primary not going to school, they decided to join the protest. "In Driekoppies, we are one. You can't have other children going to school while others are not. We decided to close all the schools because we want the problems at Magubha to be fixed," Shongwe said. He said he attended school at Magubha and could not let the school which "our parents built without the help of government become a death trap for our children". Nkululeko Nkosi, whose son goes to Magubha, said she would rather have her child stay at home than go learn in an unsafe building. "I can't lose a child to that building. I know my child has lost a lot in learning since July 18 but he will catch up. "We did this for the safety of our children," said Nkosi. Spokesperson Jasper Zwane said the department is aware of the infrastructure challenges and shut down, adding that the department was work ing around the clock to restore teaching and learning. "A structural assessment was conducted and planning to replace the dilapidated structures has commenced. "The school has since received Enviro loo in 2022 23. The department informed the school governing body SGB that four mobile classes will be delivered to the school as soon as possible to alleviate the pressure. "However, it is sad that the SGB or some members are rejecting that offer and are demanding 19 mobile classes. "The department has started a process to complete the rehabilitation of the school," said Zwane. He urged parents to cooperate with the department and allow children to go back to school as they were missing out on a lot of schoolwork. The Human Rights Commission's Emmanuel Nkonde said they would investigate. A teacher at Magubha said a class which used to have 50 pupils had more than doubled in number. "Now I have to teach 118 learners and that's very hard. You cannot monitor or teach well because they are too many. Some make noise, others misbehave while other sleep," said the teacher, adding that he understood the parents' frustration." Another teacher said some grades were accommodated in one class due to lack of space. "A hall is divided only by cardboards to accommodate grades 6 on one side and grades i on the other. Grade is make noise and sing... It's hard and I can't cope." Driekoppies SGB chair Mafika Lubisi said it was wrong that children were being barred from going to school, adding that he hoped the matter would be resolved soon.

Source: Sowetan