As millions of children excitedly dressed for the first day of school, 13-year-old Lerato* sat at home with no idea of when she would again be in a classroom.

The former primary school prefect and star student is one of hundreds of new high schoolers who have been placed at Railway Secondary School. A school that currently is nothing more than an empty field opposite a potentially crime-ridden train station, and down the road from a tavern.

Previously, Gauteng Department of Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona told The Citizen the school would be completed in 2025.

Dozens of frustrated parents gathered outside Hoërskool Akasia in Pretoria North on Wednesday morning, demanding placement for their children at the school while Railway Secondary School is under construction.

Smoke filled the air outside the school as tyres were set alight in protest at the situation.

“Am I supposed to send my child to an open field for school?” questioned Thulaganyo Moepi, who joined the protest, expressing disbelief at the situation that has left numerous children unable to attend classes on the first day of the 2025 academic year.

The promised Railway Secondary School, which was set to open in 2025, currently shows minimal signs of development.

Speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday, a parent revealed that the field had only been cleared the previous day (Tuesday) with no structures in place.

“When I spoke to you in December, it was just a bush. So now they’ve cleaned the land, and it’s just an open land right now. That’s the only development, but there’s no container, there’s nothing,” the parent explained.

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Emotional toll on families

The situation has taken a significant emotional toll on both parents and students. The mother, who spoke to The Citizen, revealed that her child achieved above 70% in the previous year, and was a student leader at the school.

She shared her heartbreak at having to leave her child at home, and feeling like she had failed her child.

“I left my child at home, I don’t even know what to tell her. I can only assure her that as a parent, I will do my best. But the truth of the matter is, my best is dependent on a system that is currently not working,” she said, fighting back tears.

The impact extends beyond just the affected students, Moepi said Lerato was “not in a good state”, and the family was not able to celebrate her sibling’s first day of school as they would have wanted.

“I’ve got a Grade 3 as well, but I couldn’t even be excited for my Grade 3. I couldn’t even think of a chance to take pictures today.

“I have to brave it up [and pretend] as if I have a solution [for Lerato] whereas I don’t have one.”

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School placement controversies

Moepi raised concerns about the placement system’s fairness and transparency, with some parents suggesting the system is inadvertently encouraging fraudulent behaviour.

“The kids that are accepted at Akasia are [supposed to be] staying around 0.09km from the school. But we were here this morning, they’re coming here in Kombis. You can see that they’re coming from far away because a child that comes, let’s say, 0.09km from the school would not use transport.

“It looks like the system is now forcing us to commit fraud,” the parent stated, referring to the apparent need to misrepresent residential addresses to secure placement at existing schools.

She claimed that the department of Basic Education’s local district office had told her there was nothing they could do about the situation.

However, Mabona questioned the claims.

“Learners are not kept at home, the parents are aware of where those children must go in the interim,” he said.

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Railway Secondary School’s location safety concerns

She also expressed serious safety concerns about the proposed Railway Secondary School’s location.

“No normal parent would actually take their child in their right mind to a school that is next to a tavern, to a school that is next to a railway station. It doesn’t even make sense,” the frustrated emphasised.

According to official gazettes, schools cannot be built close to taverns, or railways.

Addressing concerns about its proximity to a tavern and other security concerns, Mabona previously assured that safety at the school wouldn’t be compromised.

This article will be updated once the department responds to further questions about the current state of Railway Secondary School, their plans for students assigned to the non-existent facility, and the impact on surrounding schools’ capacity.

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