Parents from Miller Primary School in Elliotdale are worried that the Department of Education might merge their school with another one if the number of learners keeps on dropping, due to the lack of proper classrooms in this school.
The chairperson of the school governing body (SGB), Lathitha Nonkebe, said the department had promised to develop the school, but did not deliver.
She said the classrooms did not have windows and this put lives of their children at risk of catching flu all the time. Nonkebe said the school did not have proper toilets.
“Even though the department managed to build us flushable toilets, the learners are unable to use them because the soil pipe was not connected. They are using the old toilets that are not in good condition and are putting their lives in danger,” said Nonkebe.
She added that the whole school was built as a temporary structure by missionaries. The school does not have sports facilities or even an assembly area they could use for morning exercises.
“They depend on the sports field, which belongs to the community. This limits their activities because they have to share the one field with local teams. The water pumps are exposed and can be tampered with, which poses a threat of theft and probably vandalism within the premises.”
The spokesperson for the Department of Education, Mali Mtima, confirmed that the inspectors would be sent to investigate the situation.
“There are inspectors who will be sent to check the infrastructure and toilets so that there could be a way forward,” he said.
