Pretoria - ActionSA provincial chairperson, Bongani Baloyi, has called on the provincial and local governments to come together for the betterment of schools that need their services.
Baloyi spoke during a visit to Selang Primary School in Leboneng, Hammanskraal, where he highlighted the need to improve accessibility to the school, and a need to test the underground water consumed at the school.
On a walkabout at the school he engaged the school governing body, to understand the challenges at the school and how the government could aid staff and pupils.
He said the school has numerous infrastructure and maintenance challenges – overgrown vegetation and a need for extra classrooms to accommodate more pupils – but there are also challenges that require intervention from the City of Tshwane.
“One is accessibility to the school. I believe the tar road ends 1km from the school. When it rains it becomes a big problem to access the school. They say the soil is clay, making it extremely difficult to access the school.
“The second is the issue of water. The school gets water from groundwater. We know Hammanskraal’s challenges with water, and what is happening with the Rooiwal Water Treatment Plant which has contaminated groundwater. “Worst of all for the school, just 400m from the school there is some sewer infrastructure.
“You can imagine if it is part of the Rooiwal Water Treatment Plant system, it definitely has contaminated the groundwater.
“The school pulls its only source of water from the ground, so we need the water to be tested to be sure that it is safe for consumption,” said Baloyi.
MMCs should make the City understand the urgency of the situation.
He said the quality of the water has not been tested in recent times.
Baloyi said the school also had a problematic teacher to learner ratio, which meant they had to take on more teaching periods, making it a challenge to provide education properly.
One educator must teach multiple grades, periods and subjects. The Education Department did not respond to the concerns raised; neither did local and provincial government by deadline.
Pretoria News