Country sells out Soweto pupils

It is a sad indictment that there are schools in Soweto which lie abandoned – or have been taken over by the community and repurposed – because there are not enough pupils to fill them.

It’s sad because there are plenty of pupils who need education – but their parents prefer to send them to former Model C schools in the suburbs because township schools are often disastrous war zones.

Today, we report on a number of these abandoned or remade places of education, which cost the taxpayer millions to build in the first place. Education was one of the main themes of the liberation struggle and it is beyond ironic that it was in Soweto in 1976 where school kids died from police bullets in the name of better education.

ALSO SEE: Damaged schools, infrastructure and lost study materials: What now for KZN pupils?

Sending children to schools on the other side of the city is costly for parents and, with long commutes, can be disruptive for pupils.

It goes without saying that this should not happen. While many township schools have been under-resourced, the lack of commitment among teachers and principals had bred a culture of mediocrity and inertia.

This, in turn, has led to pupils themselves becoming undisciplined and even criminal. These children deserve a lot better than this.