In an area declared unsafe, and cordoned off with wire, the delegation stepped gingerly through the remnants of ceiling boards with sharp nails protruding, shards of broken glass, and rotten food strewn around the classrooms and ablution blocks.

The textbook storeroom had also been broken into, with thieves climbing through the roof, kicking the ceiling panels out, and then making off with the books, which are sold as scrap paper.

The school has no electricity and has only one functional tap that was repaired by a plumber arranged by Congress of SA Trade Unions provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich.

This outside tap supplies the entire school with water, and a hose pipe has been fitted to supply water to the prefabricated toilet block. The sandy school grounds are littered with broken glass. While the unsafe area has been cordoned off with a wire fence, teaching is continuing in clean new prefabricated classrooms brought in by the education department as a temporary fix.

These accommodate around 200 pupils who refuse to budge.

Rubble and discarded animal bones from a butcher lie strewn about on a road leading to the school from a run-down block of flats.

Next door is the new Tygersig Primary School, where all the windows and entrances have sturdy mesh over them and two security guards for protection.

The education department has said that it has tried to transfer the children to nearby Ravensmead, because of the school's condition.

Education MEC Debbie Schafer believes that allowing the teachers and pupils to continue at Uitzig Secondary School would be a violation of their human rights.

Dropout risk

The handful of teachers left at the school - where the reception area was in darkness because there was no electricity - did not want to speak for fear of violating department policy.

Later, a group of around 150 pupils, parents and their supporters protested at the Western Cape provincial legislature.

Source: All Africa.com