Lepati Samuel Mohlabegoane (65) was appointed principal in 1991 by the Johannesburg Regional Department of Education and Training.
Recounting his career Mohlabegoane said, “I started the school with nothing from the department and had to beg for school material and facilities from other schools and sources. I recruited 18 teachers, negotiated for space and luckily MC Weiler and Iphutheng primary schools agreed to host 800 and 500 Standard 7 (Grade 8) students respectively.
“Soon after, our hosts experienced enrolment pressure forcing us to relocate to an open building in Marlboro were we taught in noisy and unbearable classrooms demarcated with plastic sheeting and cardboard.
“We had no staff rooms or toilet facilities which we sought from surrounding homes. The students and teachers became restless and without notice moved to the current school which was still under construction, where they defiantly occupied a completed classroom block. The school’s supervisor had no choice but to relent,” Mohlabegoane added.
Soon after, more problems emerged with the non-delivery of learning materials due to political upheavals. “The department of education only delivered months later after persuasion by the parents and teachers’ association,” he said. “Our problems continued into the new dispensation when we were classified as a well-resourced school entitled to a small grant of R300 000, compared to millions of rands received by other schools, yet they also had students predominantly from Alexandra. This problem was only rectified years later after the school had incurred huge debts from poor parents some of which are still outstanding.”
Mohlabegoane leaves the school after notable progress including an increased student enrolment of 1735, improved pass rate of 87 percent last year and 56 staff members.
“I am confident the new principal Isaac Tloloe will advance the school’s ethos of ‘Thuto Pele’ and programmes like Adopt-a-Cop which eradicates substance abuse by students and curbing of teenage pregnancies through strict discipline,” he added.
