AS yet another academic year is about to end and would look back at the challenges faced by pupils at government schools.
Their sole mission is to go to school, learn and become better people in future.
Well, that’s not the case, as more pupils experience trauma and more challenges at schools, a place they call their second home.
Challenges at the basic level of education have become extremely worrying.
Week in and out, parents try to intervene for the rights of their children. More and more schools have been closed by the parents who are against conditions and some practices by schools.
Pupils are overcrowded at some schools, making learning very difficult. Some classrooms at other schools are not in a conducive for learning and teaching. Ceilings are falling, with cracked walls as they still await temporary structures promised by the government year in and out.
Some parents have no choice but to close down such schools with protests until such critical elements are dealt with by the relevant departments. Also, corruption at some school has become the order of the day. Principals from different schools are also accused of misusing funds and taking what belongs to the school to make it their own.
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One example is that of a teacher who was caught stealing photocopy papers at Matlaisane High School in Moretele, North West. The teacher allegedly came to the school at about 4am and left at 5.20am to do his bad deeds. Another embarrassing incident was when teachers from Emfundweni Primary School in Mpumalanga were caught with food meant for pupils. The teachers were allegedly caught in the act by community members in September, loading food in their vehicles. Parents then marched to the school on Tuesday, 10 October, calling for the suspension of the teachers involved.
As if that was not enough, parents closed a local school in Limpopo after discovering that it wasn't run properly. The parents protested outside Makheala Primary School in Boshakge Village near Bolobedu in Limpopo on Thursday, 19 October, after discovering that the school was run by a single teacher on the day and questioned how their kids were taught.
The latest shocking incidents of pupils consuming poisonous snacks, sweets and other things give rise to the question of whether kids are safe at school.
Is the government doing enough to fight such challenges, protect learners and ensure their safety and better learning conditions?
