Parents and governing body shut down Soweto school over poor conditions

The school governing body (SGB) and the community have shut down the Job Rathebe Junior Secondary School in Orlando, Soweto, over the poor conditions at the school.

Pupils could not start their third term on Tuesday as the SGB and parents held placards outside the school, calling for the department of education to address the learning conditions.

They are calling for the school toilets to be fixed, the principal to be removed, the library that has books scattered all over and the lack of desks to be resolved.

The treasury of the SGB, Myron Shongwe, said they have shut the school gates and are calling for the Minister or the MEC of education to come and address the dire situation at the school.

“Our mandate is that we are going to shut down the school because we want the MEC or the minister or the HOD of the education department to come and hear our grievances, because we have been running up and down but we have not seen any official at the school.”

He said that officials from the district office of the Gauteng Department of Education had promised to improve the conditions at the school last year.

Shongwe also said the school’s principal is always sick and has been absent from the school since last year.

Brenda Mjiyako, from the neighbourhood watch, said they visited the school multiple times over issues of pupils stabbing each other.

“All the visits that we had, the principal was never there, she runs the school from home. I remember there was a time we came for a week and she ended up saying it was if we were bored. How can she say that because as parents of the kids, we are concerned.”

Some of the Gauteng education department officials arrived at the school on Tuesday to have a meeting with the SGB and some of the parents to find solutions to their concerns.

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