Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Jafta Mokoena MPL and Afrikaans soundbite by Roy Jankielsohn MPL.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Free State Department of Education to urgently address infrastructure delays that have led to the closure of the Western Holdings Primary School in Welkom. The school was closed on Monday following a protest by parents and community members over inadequate learning conditions and longstanding plans to build a permanent structure that have not materialised.
Western Holdings Primary School faces a serious infrastructure crisis, with learners forced to study in unsafe temporary structures that compromise teaching and learning. In many cases, teaching and learning must be suspended during rainy weather because of leaking classrooms, resulting in repeated disruptions to education. The poor condition of the surroundings, including overgrown grass, stagnant water, and a broken fence, further exposes both learners and staff to safety risks.
The DA is also concerned about the number of schools that remain under construction across the Free State, with no indication of completion times. The MEC for Education, Dr Maboya, must commit to completing all outstanding school infrastructure projects, ensuring that learners are afforded safe and dignified learning spaces that support quality education.
The Department’s provision of mobile classrooms may offer a temporary alternative when infrastructure projects are delayed, but these structures cannot serve as a substitute for permanent school buildings. These structures often provide inadequate space for effective teaching and learning, become unbearably hot in summer and extremely cold in winter, and deteriorate rapidly over time.
A school must provide a safe and secure environment that supports effective learning and protects everyone on the premises. The conditions at Western Holdings Primary School and at other schools fall far below this standard and require urgent attention. Safe infrastructure is essential to ensure dignity, stability, and uninterrupted teaching and learning.
Learners cannot continue to pay the price for the government’s inability to deliver basic educational infrastructure.