MEC visits embattled KwaMakhutha school

The MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube called on parents, teachers and school governing bodies to put the interests of pupils first when she visited the embattled Masakhaneni High School in KwaMakhutha on Tuesday, 15 January.

Masakhaneni was the scene of a tragic incident last year, in which two pupils were killed as a result of factional fighting that spilled over to the school precinct. As the 2019 school year got underway last week, two police officers were stationed at the school gates, to ensure a calm start to the academic year.

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The MEC’s visit was part of the provincial government’s school functionality monitoring programme, where MECs and members of the provincial legislature conduct unannounced inspections at various schools to enforce the culture of children being in class on time and teachers doing their work.

The KwaMakhutha school saw a drop in its 2018 matric results due to the number of social challenges. Dube-Ncube held engagements with all stakeholders, including school governing bodies, and expressed concern with the functionality of the school two weeks into academic year.

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“What happened at this school last year should never happen anywhere, as our schools are meant to be places of safety where teaching takes place daily. Our schools cannot be havens for criminals and be converted into war zones.

In order to ensure things return to normal at this school, the provincial government needs all stakeholders to come on board, as we cannot do this on our own. We need the teachers, parents, school governing body and members of the community to play an active role in ensuring we protect our schools as they are places of safety and learning, where the next generation of leaders are shaped and moulded,” said Dube-Ncube.