The Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to address the infrastructure crisis at Relebogile Secondary School in Khutsong, Carletonville, is subjecting learners to an environment that is not conducive to learning and teaching.
This was discovered during the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) follow-up oversight inspection to assess whether conditions had improved since learners were relocated into temporary classrooms almost a year ago due to a sinkhole that appeared in the school.
See photos here, here, here and here
According to the school management, the sinkhole has not been fixed since the last inspection, and no timelines have been given as to when it will be fixed. Due to this, the school cannot be used since it remains unsafe for learners and teachers.
Learners continue to be taught in temporary classrooms erected adjacent to the school, facing enormous infrastructural issues. Over 1460 learners and 73 teachers share 12 toilets.
The average class size is 47 learners to one teacher. The school has only two water taps and no additional ablution facilities. There is no proper drainage system or proper paving, which makes it impossible for learners and teachers to change classes during rainy days.
The school management has been writing to the GDE asking for improvements to infrastructure, but their letters remain unanswered.
When the DA brought up the appalling conditions at this school in April last year, we were dismissed as making “sensationalistic and opportunistic” allegations against the Gauteng Department of Education MEC, Matome Chiloane. We challenge the MEC to visit the school to see the dire situation that the learners and teachers are exposed to daily.
The DA will submit written questions to MEC Chiloane in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to determine why urgent issues, including lack of adequate water taps and toilets, installation of the paving have not been resolved nearly a year later. We also want to know the progress with regards to the fixing of the sinkhole.
Education is a fundamental right that should never be compromised by incompetent leadership or an uncaring government. The DA will continue to fight for Relebogile learners to have access to adequate resources to ensure that they receive the quality education they deserve.