Learning and teaching have been severely affected at North Park Primary School in Pretoria North due to a shortage of teachers, learning resources and equipment such as stationery and furniture.
The school is short of three teachers and needs 15 teacher desks.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has abandoned North Park Primary School, an English-medium and a no-fee paying institution leaving teachers, learners, and parents in a difficult position. Despite the school’s dedication to providing quality education, it operates with little to no government support, which hampers its ability to meet the needs of its learners.
The DA recently discovered this during an oversight inspection at the school. Although North Park Primary School was officially inaugurated by the GDE, it was never provided with a basic starter pack to ensure smooth operations. Instead, the headmistress has been forced to use her funds to purchase essential cleaning materials, while parents have stepped in to donate stationery, a copying machine, and even a fridge.
While Premier Lesufi boasted in his State of the Province Address about quality education developing in townships and championing the BELA Act to open the doors of learning and culture for all,” the reality at North Park Primary tells a different story. His claims of investing in education ring hollow when schools lack even basic resources and qualified teachers, effectively closing these doors of opportunity for many Gauteng learners.
It is completely unacceptable that a school classified in Quintile 3, which exempts learners from paying school fees, has been abandoned and deprived of resources by the government that promised to support it during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The need for teachers and parents to intervene to rescue the situation shows how poorly GDE is managed. It is high time that MEC Matome Chiloane shapes up or ships out.
The DA Gauteng will write to GDE MEC Matome Chiloane, demanding immediate action to secure the promised funding, infrastructure, and resources necessary for creating a supportive learning environment at this school.
The DA will continue to fight for North Park Primary School to get the support it deserves and for every learner to receive a quality education in a fully functioning school. We will not allow Premier Lesufi’s government failures to negatively impact the future of our children.