THE school governing body (SGB) is very concerned about the state of their school, especially pit toilets which are a headache to the community and pupils.
The Mogogelo Primary School SGB deputy chairman, Jan Mosupye from Mogogelo in the North West said he is worried about the pit toilets and the bad flooring on the classrooms.
He alleged that the Department of Education in the North West was aware of the bad state of the school as the flushing toilets, which they have installed, are like a white elephant as pupils continue to use pit toilets which are a health hazard.
He said they launched a complaint around 2019, and he alleged the department in the province delivered a big JoJo tank to supply water which pupils would use to flush the toilets.
"The department even gave us permission to dig a big trench near the toilets for plumbing purposes. The flushing toilets were not completed, and it's already a white elephant," he said.
He said the wind blew away the roof, and the flashing toilets were vandalised.
"As parents and SGB members, we want to see our classes in a good condition, and we want flushing toilets," he said.
ALSO READ: Mashonisa took my takkies for R20!
He alleged there were snakes hiding in those pit toilets.
Moretele municipal spokesman Mothupi Malebye said schools are the responsibility of the department.
North West Department of Education spokesman Mphata Molokwane said the school requested an assessment of facilities since the facilities were not in a good state.
The department conducted the assessment on 23 January 2024, and the report has been filed. This report informs the relevant parties about the current state of facilities at Mogogelo Primary School.
"Findings highlight that the facilities are not in a good state because of a lack of maintenance by the school. The roof is leaking and rusted, and some buildings have cracks on the walls, walls are old, and paint is peeling off from the internal walls," he said.
He said a structural engineer will be in place next week to assess if the building that has cracks can still be repaired.
"There is a vandalised flushing toilet in the school. This does not do any good to the department because the department ends up spending most of its budget on renovations instead of building new schools in the province. We condemn this behaviour since it's a setback to the province at large. Our SGBs should also be hands-on to protect schools from vandalism," he said.
