The closing of some of its schools has been a difficulty for the Department of Basic Education in the Northern Cape. The agency has been forced to respond by taking action in order to prevent any additional unfavorable effects.
Due to infrastructure issues, three schools in the Northern Cape are closed. At three schools in the province, the Northern Cape Education Department has been working to address infrastructural issues, vandalism, and mobile classrooms. These difficulties necessitated closing the schools.
The first of these schools to close down is Hantham High School in Calvinia due to infrastructure issues.
Nico Bekker Primary School in Williston also closed down due to vandalism as well as cable theft in that area. In addition to this, it has also been reported that Nico Bekker school is indebted to the country’s power utility, Eskom, owing the power utility R73 000 rent in outstanding debt.
MEC for Education in the province, Zolile Monakali is said to have stated that their provincial Department will make efforts to repay the school’s outstanding debt to Eskom. Kgomotso Secondary School has been closed down by parents since Monday due to overcrowding, which has also impacted the school’s matriculants.
Attendance at the school was on a rotational basis before recent developments and is reported to have had a poor matric pass rate of 44% in 2020. However, this changed in 2021, as the school would record an improved 58% matric pass rate.
The school’s principal expressed concerns that the results could plummet yet again as a result of overcrowding and the delay in the arrival of mobile classrooms. One of the School Governing Body members cited the same concerns and stated that the situation has not improved despite their efforts to reach out to the department for assistance.
The situation is very bad because we anticipated high numbers for 2023 December. We sent a letter to the department asking them to give us mobile classes as we anticipated their high rises in numbers and eventually in January we recently we find out that we have 970 learners from 860 last year so that was a very problem from the start.
The SGB member further stated that they gave the school principal an ultimatum to provide the mobile classes to the school or they will ensure that the school remains closed.
