Some pupils at Emang Mmogo Comprehensive School in Kimberley, Northern Cape, “bunk classes because they want to smoke dagga” and “they can’t be stopped for they have easy access of drugs from people in the nearby hostel”.
This is according to a draft report of the portfolio committee on basic education that was adopted by parliament on Tuesday.
The report followed an oversight visit to 25 schools in Western Cape and Northern Cape from January 30 to February 4 to monitor their state of readiness for the 2022 schooling year.
Referring to Emang Mmogo Comprehensive School, the report stated that “when the school can’t get learners back due to drugs, they rely on calling the police forum to assist”.
“Drugs affect the performance of the learners and the school. When learners are high during tuition, it’s traumatic.
“The district does not have a plan to combat the drug issue; there is overall use of drugs but the department will try to assist the school.”
Psychosocial problems identified at the school included drug abuse, child-headed households and teenage pregnancies.
According to the report, the school has textbook shortages because of worn books, theft and vandalism and increased pupil numbers.
Some of the problems facing the school include:
- it’s a challenge to recruit teachers to work at the school;
- there is a need for an isiXhosa teacher;
- there is a need for more toilets, the water pipes keep bursting and the windows are broken; and
- vandalism is a huge problem.
The school has cameras but “they are stagnant” and the “alarm security response in place is slow to respond”.
The report stated that pupils who requested to be taught in isiXhosa were leaving for other schools.
The portfolio committee recommended that the district and province develop a drug master plan together with the department of social development “to mitigate the challenges of drugs”.
The roof was falling in and the walls were cracked badly. The school also required extra toilets for learners and staff and a kitchen was urgently needed as the school was using a shack.
— Portfolio committee on basic education report
At the Pniel Landgoed Primary School in Barkly West, Northern Cape, the current grade R classroom “was a death trap” and the pupils and teachers “were exposed to life-threatening safety hazards”.
“The roof was falling in and the walls were cracked badly. The school also required extra toilets for learners and staff and a kitchen was urgently needed, as the school was using a shack.”
At Soverby Primary, also in Northern Cape, pupils came to school “when they were ready and in winter even come an hour late”.
“There was a pattern where learners looked after siblings on Fridays and Mondays and this was also evident on social grant payment dates.”
Some of the challenges included the need for an additional grade R classroom, furniture, an administration block and extra toilets for staff.
The report stated that at Iingcinga Zethu Secondary School in the Western Cape most pupils had no parental support as parents were seasonal and migrant workers on farms.
“The prevalence of drugs in the nearby informal settlement negatively impacts on learners’ behaviour at school and in the community. Vandalism and theft is common and there is poor infrastructure.”
The document said the culture of late-coming “is a norm”.
At the Sol Plaatje School in Kimberley, the roof, ceilings, gutters and downpipes needed attention.
“The flooring needs maintenance, the walls need painting and there is a shortage of 123 chairs and 157 desks for pupils.”
The portfolio committee requested the minister of basic education ensure that the Western Cape and Northern Cape education departments consider several recommendations.
Those concerning the Northern Cape included addressing the challenges of safety and security of school infrastructure and ensuring the department placed some responsibility and accountability on schools and communities for maintenance.
Another recommendation was devising programmes and plans and assist schools in boosting morale of pupils, and teachers to do maths and science subjects.
