WHEN parents heard that the ceiling at Umthambeka Primary School in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni collapsed on Tuesday, 27 February, they rushed to the school worried about their kids' safety.
As the cause of the incident is uncertain at this stage, it's assumed the collapse was caused by the heavy rain that hit parts of Ekurhuleni the previous day. An investigation was launched to look into circumstances surrounding this incident.
Meanwhile, 12 injured kids were taken to a nearby clinic, while the other six were taken to hospital for further evaluation.
Two pupils are still recovering at a local medical facility while others are recuperating at home.
Information about what happened at the school was leaked in the community's WhatsApp group allegedly by a community member employed at the school.
Parents flocked outside the gate fearful and confused as no one came to address them. There was mayhem outside the school's gate with parents demanding their kids be released for the day. Some parents blamed the principal for the incident, while others blamed the government.
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“The principal took time to address us about what happened to our children. We're not happy with what has happened and how it was handled. We send our children to school to be educated in a safe environment,” said a community member.
It is alleged that the kids notified the principal the previous day that the roof was not in a good condition and as a result, they were removed from that class.
“We don't know why they returned to the classroom before the roof was fixed. We hear rumors that there's a child who's seriously injured at Tembisa Hospital,” said another community member.
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane expressed his concern over the incident.
“We're indeed concerned by the occurrence of this incident and find it unfortunate that our children were injured in such a manner at school. We'd like to wish all affected pupils speedy recovery. Furthermore, we call upon SGB members to be always vigilant of challenges faced by their schools and report them to the department for necessary attention,” said Chiloane.
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