Parents of learners at Nkongolwana Primary School, in the rural area of Nkongolwane near Hlobane, are at their wits’ end.
Their frustration centres on the seeming crisis which has plagued the school since 2016.
A recent spate of burglaries has prompted the parents to voice their concerns, as they suspect these burglaries and acts of vandalism are the result of something far more sinister than mere common criminality.
According to one of the parents, Nqobile Mtshali, many of them suspect members of the School Governing Body (SGB) are behind the ransacking of the school, or at least have knowledge of who the perpetrators are. They say the SGB also refuses to do something about the situation. Parents are concerned for the future and safety of their children, as classes are now taken outside of the classrooms due to the sad state of the vandalised classrooms.
“This issue has been going on for a long time, and still nothing has been done about what is going on at the school,” said Mtshali. “Three gentlemen came from the Department of Education to see the school. They saw the condition of it and promised to come back with solutions, but we are still waiting.”
The general feeling among parents is that the current SGB needs to be removed and new members elected in their place, who will work ‘in the best interests of the school’.
When the Vryheid Herald contacted the Head of Department for Nkongolwana Primary School, identified as a Mr Ndwandwe, he declined to comment and referred the newspaper to the school’s Principal.
The principal declined to comment and stated that according to the Department of Education’s rules, she was not at liberty to discuss the matter.
Following several attempts to make contact with both teachers and parents, no further information was forthcoming.
The Department of Education stated it was looking into the matter, but could not provide any further details as an investigation was allegedly underway. A meeting was held at the school last week however, where the district Department of Education was present to address parents’ concerns.
Mtshali commented after the meeting, “There is no way forward. They have failed to give us the answers we want.”
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