After having no form of activity for three weeks and the learners not being taught, Manokwe Secondary School in Malematja Village lives to see another day.
On Wednesday, the Malematja Village community gathered together at the Manokwe Secondary School with the leaderships of the Russia 3-48 (Bolobedu EFF), representatives from SADTU, the Circuit Manager and the Bolobedu SAPS to discuss the future of the school and its learners.
The meeting came after the School Governing Body (SGB) met with the circuit manager, Modika Lethwane, and the teachers of the school the previous day to find a way to move forward that benefits all parties.
Lethwane, who gave a report to the community from the Department of Education started off by explaining that the learners were being moved to lack of teachers and a low threshold of learner, as the minimum of learners for a Secondary School should be 200.
He said that due to not having any participation from the MEC of Education, the school would not be closed down but the issue of teachers has not yet been resolved because at the meeting held on Tuesday, the teachers from Manokwe spoke of how they were intimidated by the learners, and he asked the parents and the SGB to step in on that matter so that learning can commence.
Motsosi Rabothata, a representative of SADTU, spoke of how merging of schools was a law that gets implemented whenever a school has a low count of teachers and learners, but because of the way the learners and teachers have been working to get Manokwe the glory it has in terms of producing good results in their circuit there will be no merging.
However, Rabothata also felt gravely concerned about the fact that some of the learners were threatening the people who are there to give them a chance at a better future.
“I am pleading with you [parents] and learners that we work together and own up this school,” said Rabothata.
Simon Mangena, Ward 3 EFF councilor, made reference to a song by the late iconic Lucky Dube in which he called him a prophetic man as his lyrics state that “they won’t build no schools anymore, all they’ll build will be prison, prison…”.
Mangena was making reference to the infrastructure of the school and the fact that the Bolobedu SAPS in Kgapane is having their holding cells extended.
The meeting ended with an agreement between the community, the circuit manager, the SADTU representatives, and the EFF ward councilors, that when the teachers return to their posts on Thursday, they will be treated fairly and with respect and that whatever issue(s) may arise, they should be taken up with the SGB and if further intervention is needed, then the circuit and the Department of Education will step in.
