Schools caught off-guard
2004-01-13 20:47
Giyani - Limpopo teachers and pupils were caught off-guard on Tuesday when education officials conducted surprise visits on the first day of school.
Embarrassed pupils and teachers at Mangezi High School at Nsavula near Giyani, which achieved a mere 21% matric pass rate last year, were clearly unprepared to start school on the first day, said departmental spokesperson Rapule Matsane.
"We visited the school because it achieved very bad results last year and we wanted to know what problems they faced, only to find pupils outside class rooms and teachers in the staff room," he said.
"As soon as they saw us, they ran to the classrooms.
Education MEC Joyce Mashamba visited two other schools in the Mopani district.
The Magulasavi High school at Makhuva was congratulated for achieving a pass rate of roughly 80% last year.
"We were really impressed by the dedication of both pupils and teachers to their education," said Matsane. "When we got there, everyone was hard at work."
The delegation also visited Masiza High School at Mbawula to try determine why the school's pass rate plummeted from a four-year track record of 100%, to just 26% last year.
The school was asked to submit a report detailing its problems and suggested solutions before Tuesday next week.
Mashamba will also pay surprise visits to schools in the Capricorn, Sekhukhune and Bohlabelo districts until next Monday.
The MEC wants to determine if the schools have received textbooks and other materials on time and if there were any admission problems.
"Some children face discrimination because of race, nationality and religion, while others are denied learning material because they cannot afford to pay school fees," Matsane explained.
He said children who come from really poor families should be exempted from paying school fees, or be offered a means in which to pay off the fees.
"Such payment arrangements should be discussed with parent, and not with the child," he added.
The province has about 1.7 million pupils and 56 000 teachers, with an average teacher/pupil ratio of 1:30.
The province's matric pass rate improved from 69.5% in 2002 to 70% last year.