Re-aligning of schools spark tension between parents and Education Department

Makgopheng/Magukubjane

Outraged parents of children attending school at Namudi Secondary in Makgopheng Village outside Groblersdal have voiced their disapproval after the only secondary school in the area was merged with Magukubjane Secondary which is situated about 5km away.

Parents say the Limpopo Department of Education (LDoE) did not consult them and they only learnt on the merger by the school’s governing body before December holidays. Namudi Secondary accommodates about 100 learners from Grade 8 to Grade 12 who will be urged to move to Magukubjane Secondary during the 2024 academic year.

A parent, Petrus Makua, said parents refuse the merger because no proper consultations were made by DoE.

“We are disgruntling because we were never informed properly about the merger. The other problem is that the new school is far from our village, we are worried about the distance, no transportation arrangement were made by the department to ensure that our children travel safe to the new school. Our children are not safe walking there,” he said.

Makua said parents will work in solidarity to ensure that children remain at Namudi during the school’s reopening day.

A community leader, Mooiman Mosotho, said they have been engaging with the department since the decision was announced.

“We have engaged the district manager about the problem and could not get clear answers. We have escalated the matter to the office of the MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya to seek her intervention and we are currently waiting for her response,” he said.

Mosotho said they will consider suspending both schools if the problem is not resolved according to the needs of the community. The Education Department was not immediately available for a comment.