Deteriorating Conditions at Thipanyane Primary School

ActionSA North West is demanding urgent answers following an oversight visit to Thipanyane Primary School, where learners face deteriorating infrastructure and are taught in shared classrooms alongside learners from other grades.

The classrooms have cracked walls and leaking roofs, the toilets have no running water, the kitchen, which is a shack, lacks proper flooring and adequate storage, and the school has no staffroom. These conditions raise serious concerns about the environment in which learners are expected to learn and teachers are expected to work. 

Built in 1987, Thipanyane Primary School accommodates learners from Grade R to Grade 7. Grades 2 and 3 share one classroom, while Grades 4 and 5 are taught together in another. While a teacher instructs one grade, learners from the other must work independently, sit quietly or, in some cases, sleep while waiting for their turn. Teachers are expected to manage different curricula, lesson plans and assessments simultaneously, limiting the attention they can give to each grade and compromising learning time.

The Department of Education must explain how it intends to ensure that every learner receives adequate instruction, completes the required curriculum and gets the support needed to progress academically. It must also account for the state of the school’s infrastructure and explain what steps will be taken to address the challenges.

ActionSA has already submitted questions to the North West Department of Education about conditions at schools across the province. Following this visit, we will write to Education MEC Desbo Mohono to demand answers on the extent of multi-grade teaching across the province, teacher allocations, curriculum monitoring and support for affected schools. We will also demand a comprehensive maintenance plan for Thipanyane Primary School, with clear timelines for repairs and improvements to sanitation and kitchen facilities.

The Department cannot expect teachers to deliver quality education without providing the necessary infrastructure and support. Every learner deserves a safe learning environment, adequate teaching time and the opportunity to succeed, regardless of the school they attend. ActionSA North West will pursue answers from the MEC and hold the Department accountable for addressing the challenges facing learners and educators at Thipanyane Primary School.

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