Parents of pupils attending Portland Primary School in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, stood picketing outside, shutting down the school until it can guarantee the safety of their children.
The structural integrity of the school building has raised concerns and construction areas are continuing without safety regulations. The parents are calling for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to “come to the party or get out” as parents claim the school building is in shambles.
The South African reported that a meeting to discuss the poor condition of the school building was held with parents, the school principal and student governing body (SGB) on Wednesday evening this week. They were informed that 13 mobile classroom units will be given to the school but the majority of parents with children at the school decided that it needs to be closed down until further notice.
They have since taken to the school gates in protest with placards on Thursday, calling on the WCED to assist in fixing the situation.
In speaking to IOL, one parent said that “this is a battle of life and death and to protect my child I will not even consider placing her in a position to even fiddle with death.
“The school is a death trap. If something happens what is the WCED going to do? Send condolences, light a candle, and then what? They need to fix this damn school and think about their colleagues and these children.”
Another concerned parent, Shinaz Mohamed, said it was visible the school with missing windows, cracked walls and broken stairs were falling apart and in need of urgent repair.
“The stairs is falling apart. The whole block is falling apart. There is a whole section of the school where the stairs are broken, flooring from the top, the railing and the classrooms are falling apart.
“We [parents] are only here to support our children. I am going to keep my child home because my child’s life matters because it is unsafe and unstable,” says Mohamed.
During the protest, school principal Eleanor Braaf addressed the parents with a loudspeaker, assuring that mobile classrooms will be erected and asked them to remain patient and tolerant.
“We need to be patient with that [mobile classrooms]. As soon as it comes we need to have it set up and we need time for the children and teachers to move from classrooms to the structures,” explains Braaf.
She said the mobile classrooms will be erected on the field on the school grounds and as far away as possible from the school building.
WCED director of communications Bronagh Hammond told IOL in a follow-up article that following a visit by senior WCED officials, a block of 18 classrooms will be cordoned off to mitigate risk.
“This follows an assessment by a forensic engineer that four of these classrooms were deemed to be a risk.
The recommended placement of mobile classrooms as a short-term solution and was waiting for the final assessment report, Hammond said, which would determine a long-term solution.
Ezra Williams, a parent and education activist, questioned the WCED’s commitment to student care and education saying it doesn’t make sense because the department is sending 13 mobile classrooms but are cordoning 18 off.
When asked when the mobile classrooms can be expected to arrive, Hammond replied that she “cannot say at this stage.”
“What made parents reach this boiling point is that the department cannot give time frames to when exactly alternative facilities such as mobiles will be available,” says Williams.
Watch the protest video on IOL.
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Picture: Portland Primary School / Facebook