Community members together with members of the School Governing Body (SGB) have complained about the school which they say is on the brink of collapse.
They told the Herald that the school, which is over 60 years old, poses a safety hazard. The school is situated at Ga-Mokgwathi under Mawa circuit.
Roofing which is not intact and cracked walls are proof that the infrastructure is over 60 years.
SGB chairperson, Thompson Shikwambana, said they have been sent from pillar to post in a bid to get the school fixed. Shikwambana, who was one of the scholars to attend at the school when it first opened its doors, said it breaks his heart to see the school in the condition that it is in.
“My 13 children went to Vallambrosa, I am now part of the SGB because my granddaughter is a learner here,” he said.
Also read: Cultivate a culture of reading
The school’s four blocks are built with mud bricks and has fourteen classrooms of which some have holes on the roof (corrugated iron sheets), cracked walls, and chipped floors.
He said they (parents) have been asking the department of education for new infrastructure and they have been sending their children to the dilapidated school.
“What if a wall collapses and causes an accident, who is going to take responsibility. A lot of site visits were done but there’s nothing to show for it.”
He said they even went to the MEC’s office to ask for mobile classes but to this day they were still waiting.
Lebogang Makhubele who is a secretary of a youth group in the area also expressed his concern stating that the department should at least deliver on their promise of mobile classes.
“While they are working on renovating the school we are asking for mobile classes because our learners’ lives are in danger,” he said.
Education department spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene said Vallambrosa is one of 59 schools allocated to the Department of Public Works Roads and Infrastructure for implementation in 2020/21 financial year.
Also read: Vaccinate your dogs against rabies
“The Department of Public Works Roads and infrastructure has already appointed consultants who have completed feasibility studies at the school and have finalised the designs. LDOE has already approved the designs,” Chuene said.
She said the appointment of the service provider for mobile classrooms was still in progress.
Chuene said they have also received quotations and were busy processing orders for six mobile classrooms for the school, to accommodate learners while construction gets underway.