PARENTS of pupils at Lerutlhware Primary School are worried about their kids' education.
This is because the school in Mosonthal Village outside Rustenburg, North West, has about six classrooms that are not being used due to a collapsed ceiling.
To make matters worse, the school has a shortage of classrooms and as a result, classrooms are overcrowded, with more than 80 pupils in one classroom. This then prompted the angry parents to close down the school earlier this year, demanding that the ceiling be fixed or mobile classrooms be provided in the meantime.
Parent Samuel Mmuwalefe said their children are suffering.
“There is no space for them to sit and learn properly because the classrooms are overcrowded,” he said.
Samuel said the decision to close the school was not easy as they knew their kids would suffer, but they were left with no option. He said they needed intervention as it seemed like the school was abandoned.
“All we are saying is that the education department should bring mobile classrooms while they find means to fix the six classrooms," he said.
SGB chairman Thabo Lentikile said they have requested mobile classrooms, but nothing has been done to assist the school.
“Teachers are forced to teach over 80 pupils in one classroom,” Thabo said.
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North West Department of Education spokesman Mphata Molokwane said the department is aware of the situation at Lerutlhware Primary School and they intervened.
“Lerutlhware Primary School is one of the Royal Bafokeng section 14 schools in Bojanala district. As the department, we had several meetings with Royal Bafokeng Administration (RBA) to address the challenge faced by the school,” he said.
He said the resolution was that RBA would renovate the damaged structure and provide the school with three mobile classrooms.
“The department managed to provide the school with four mobile classes while the RBA will also add mobile classrooms to alleviate the overcrowding in classes during the renovation period,” he said.
Bashi Makgale, director of operations at RBA, said Lerutlhware is a public school leased to the Department of Education by the Royal Bafokeng Nation through its education entity, the Royal Bafokeng Institute (RBI).
Makgale said the department operates and manages this school in its entirety, but RBI provides support to schools within their communities where feasible.
