AFTER a community protest at Mzokhanyo Junior Secondary School last week, classes resumed on Monday. Community members of Gugwini outside Umzimkhulu, closed the school, demanding that the government build a new one.
From February 26 to March 2, teachers and pupils were locked outside the gates as parents were picketing inside the school. They said the school was built in 1979 by them and because of old infrastructure, a new building is in order.
School principal Simphiwe Jali confirmed that classes started again on Monday morning following a meeting last Friday between parents and government officials. He said during the protest action, the school lost six mobile toilets that were burnt down, and chalkboard and desks were also damaged. “The protest disrupted teaching and learning, and preparations for first-term assessments were also disrupted. The school is preparing to recover the lost time,” said Jali.
Parents gave government officials two months to build the school and threatened to close the school again if the department failed to do so. A member of the school governing body, Laurence Dlomo, said the classrooms are not safe for their children as they have broken windows.
