Promises broken as pupils are left without schools

As the MECs emerged from their luxury cars around the country yesterday to “inspect” the first day of the 2025 school term, many were metaphorically patting themselves on the back for a job they believe is being done well.

In Pretoria, though, a distressed 13-year-old schoolgirl sat at home, traumatised because she was unable to start what could be a promising high school career.

That’s because she had no school to go to. Not because her mother had failed to apply in time to get her a place, or because the family couldn’t afford it.

She had to sit at home because the school to which she was allocated in the Gauteng department of education’s computerised system does not exist. What does exist is a plot of land which was only worked on this week to prepare it for construction of the school.

The department claims the school will be completed in 2025 but, given how deadlines in this country are seldom met – and given the late start – we would doubt that.

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In the meantime, pupils have to make do by being shunted elsewhere – which is not the best start to a high school career.

How is it possible that the department can allocate pupils to a school which has not yet been built?

Simple answer: our political masters don’t care. They’ve got their luxury cars and fancy suits and they’ll be okay, because their kids are in private schools.

This behaviour is not only helping to destroy the dreams of some of our young people, it is also, potentially, interfering in a possible prosperous future for our country.

How do these civil service mandarins know they are not derailing the future of a potential worldbeating scientist, or engineer, or even someone who can put something back into society as a dedicated teacher?

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Everybody loses…