ANC Greater Alexandra Zonal chairperson Tefo Raphadu has urged the township’s residents to roll up their sleeves and get down to work and make education fashionable so it can indeed become the ‘New AK47’ for the new generation.
Raphadu issued his New Year message ahead of the opening of schools on January 18 in which he quoted the phrase coined by the late Alex struggle activist Thembeni Manana when she described ‘Education as the new AK47’ for a democratic South Africa.
The zonal chair described South Africa as a country where inequality is at its highest and said the only way out of this quagmire was through education and skill development as the only tools that can take a person out of poverty and elevate their social or economic standing in society.
“As we approach the new academic year, we are faced with the challenge of whether every child’s right to education in Alex is secured. In the previous years, Alex faced a massive quagmire as schools were full due to migration and late registration which fuelled the massive overcrowding ever seen in the township schools,” he said.
“Not only is overcrowding a major challenge but the lack of furniture in no-fee paying schools also contributes to the many challenges that the Department of Basic Education is currently facing,” Raphadu added.
He said last year, the school capacity versus enrollment was eclipsed and many schools in our township were busting at the seams because of overcrowding, as many parents moved children from other provinces to Gauteng due to the belief that the quality of education is greater here.
For example, he said, at one stage Alex High School whose capacity is 1 300 learners had more than 2 400 enrolled at the school and this mismatch doubled the teacher-learner ratio as classrooms had almost doubled the number of learners per class.
Raphadu also pointed out that Bovet Primary School whose capacity is 860 had more than 2 300 learners enrolled at the school while Realogile High’s capacity was 1 260 but had more than 2 000 enrolled.
“This phenomenon was witnessed throughout schools in the township as the number of learner capacity doubled,” Raphadu said, adding that in 2024, the trend of increased numbers might even be worse.
The zonal chairperson said the only way out of this crisis was for the community to reclaim the old Nokhutula School in Marlboro that has been hijacked by squatters and said such a move might assist with the school infrastructure problem.
“We further urge the national government to strengthen infrastructure and capacity in rural areas through rural development to minimise the burden on our urban schools caused by the rural-to-urban migration,” he said.
In addition to the above, Raphadu called for the acquisition of land for the people of Alexandra to be fast-tracked as it would allow for more schools to be built soon.
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