POLOKWANE – Some public schools stakeholders affiliated with Cosas are yet to get feedback following a follow-up memorandum of demands on basic schooling amenities that was handed over to the Education provincial offices on March 7.
Read more: Learners march for improved scholar transport and back-up power
By this time, they had been waiting for more than a month since their February 1 protest when they launched their outcries through a mass demonstration.
At the helm of a list of requested amenities, is the urgent installation of back-up energy systems in schools and the upgrading of the scholar transportation system.
The acting provincial secretary, Shirley Ngoato says now that their second deadline of seven working days has lapsed, they will attempt one more march, and if all fails, legal consultations may have to ensue.
“We wanted to show them that we mean business. We are wasting quite a lot of our time with the demonstrations but still going to school is futile when we get there and are told of the unavailability of resources.”
In response, departmental media liaison officer, Mike Maringa says the department owns up to the delay in responses and that directors in the office of the head of department, are working on a fitting response which “learners will receive soon”.
Maringa says the responsible office, headed by Onica Dederen, has been on a circuit tour programme meeting with Limpopo principals to draw up annual plans for this academic year.
“There was never sufficient time dedicated to the memorandum of demands because they are liaising with the 134 circuit offices we have in the province about ways to improve teaching and learning with heads of schools,” he adds.
During the first demonstration, the congress’ national chairperson who hails from Limpopo, Sello Mahladisha said power cuts are an intolerable factor which contributes to learners not performing at their best.
At the time, he called on the President, Cyril Ramaphosa to declare load-shedding as a national state of disaster, as learners discontinue study routines in larger groups at set venues, among some of his other reasons.
Despite his call alongside other concerned groups being granted, the declaration has not made any visible impact to their predicament.
