New high school opens in Tzaneen
History was made when Tzaneen High School admitted its first learners, 54 Gr 8's, in January this year.
The new high school boasts eight young, motivated teachers and dedicated learners, and with the necessary support from the Department of Education, Public Works, stakeholders and role players, 2024 will go down in history as the year that this much-needed secondary school became a reality.
For the last ten years, Tzaneen’s local high schools have faced admission and learner placement challenges with not enough space for all of Tzaneen’s Gr 8’s in the town’s local high schools, Merensky Agricultural Academy and Ben Vorster High School.
The local community and Department of Education have made every effort to ensure that learners who were not placed in high schools in town can start their first year of high school at a school that offers quality education. With mobile classrooms from N’wamitwa repurposed, these efforts came into fruition when the school started with classes at their premises next to Unity Primary School at the beginning of the new school year.
“We cater to all races in local languages with English, Xitsonga, Sepedi, and Afrikaans available as home language subjects.”
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“Today four mobile classrooms are already in use, and we expect that the construction of Tzaneen High School will commence in April if all goes according to plan. Our priority is to ensure quality education for the town’s youth,” says Felix Nomvela, Tzaneen Circuit manager from the Limpopo Department of Education.
He says that the need for a new high school in Tzaneen was identified by his predecessor, Mrs Grobler, 15 years ago in 2009. “The plan started rolling in 2014 when the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) donated land close to Unity Primary School,” says Nomvela.
He got involved after he was appointed circuit manager in 2015 and has postponed his retirement at age 61 to assist with getting Tzaneen High School open for enrolment. However, there is a lot of work to be done, Nomvela says.
“Various governmental departments such as Public Works, the GTM, and the Department of Education will have a meeting soon to finalise the plans for the school property including bulk services to the school. “We are committed to continuing with the school and we will review the plans if there is no budget,” says Nomvela.
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Currently, the plan is to build 35 classrooms and construction should start on April 5 if all goes according to plan. In 2025, Tzaneen High School will accept Gr 8 and Gr 9 learners. The priority now is to build bathrooms for the high school which currently shares facilities with Unity Primary School.
“We currently share electricity, printing, and internet with Unity Primary, but these issues will be addressed,” says Nomvela. He says everyone involved in this ambitious project, from teachers, learners, parents, local community and the officials from the Department of Education, are honoured and proud to be a part of this historic moment in Tzaneen.
Those interested in assisting Tzaneen High School can contact Nomvela at 082 562 7776 or 082 495 0896.
