The principal of William Themeli High School outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo says it is discouraging for teachers to try and educate learners without textbooks and stationery.
Thovhedzeni Sivhidzho was speaking at a meeting with Premier Stanley Mathabatha and school principals from the Sibasa circuit held at Mbilwi Secondary School.
This follows reports that many parents want to take their children to Mbilwi Secondary only, ignoring other nearby schools.
Principals from nine other schools raised issues including lack of proper infrastructure like classrooms. Sivhidzho says they are also still waiting for learning material for some grades.
“The problem with stationery and textbooks is delivery, that is the main problem they don’t deliver. We are running short of textbooks for tourism grade twelve which we have 43 learners and stationery for grade eight and nine, for 85 learners. The department says it will deliver it and we are still waiting for it,” says Sivhidzho.
Mathabatha has instructed education officials to deliver learning materials to all schools immediately.
“That one of textbooks and stationery is unacceptable. I will also raise it with the MEC, we can’t have a school today which does not have stationery or textbooks, Circuit Manager! That is unacceptable it’s just unacceptable. I did not want to address it here but they must attend to it immediately,” says Mathabatha.
Learners returned to school on 15 February following a two-week postponement in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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