Seven classrooms with school equipment, files and textbooks were allegedly set alight by community members at Tosca Primary in the Kagisano Molopo municipality.
The North West department of education has committed to delivering mobile classrooms on Monday to assist with teaching and learning.
A dispute arose after the department of employment and labour closed a block of three classrooms at the school last Tuesday due to concerns about the poor standard of the facilities.
Angry members of the community tried to close the entire school on Friday.
According to the department's spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane, people entered the school and burnt the classrooms, furniture, files and textbooks and damaged grade R equipment.
Condemning the incident, education MEC Viola Motsumi said: “This is extremely sad and disturbing. It is disturbing there are still communities in this province who vent their anger by burning school property. A school is a centre of knowledge for the community. How do we expect pupils to acquire information when we burn schools?”
“Pupils have lost five days of learning and teaching. We have lost all the records of pupils due to this horrible incident. We condemn this incident in the strongest terms and call for the immediate arrest of all those behind the fire.”
Molokwane said counsellors from the department has been put on standby to counsel pupils and teachers as soon as teaching and learning resumes.
TimesLIVE
Seven classrooms burnt at North West school
Image: paylessimages / 123RF Stock Photo
Seven classrooms with school equipment, files and textbooks were allegedly set alight by community members at Tosca Primary in the Kagisano Molopo municipality.
The North West department of education has committed to delivering mobile classrooms on Monday to assist with teaching and learning.
A dispute arose after the department of employment and labour closed a block of three classrooms at the school last Tuesday due to concerns about the poor standard of the facilities.
Angry members of the community tried to close the entire school on Friday.
According to the department's spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane, people entered the school and burnt the classrooms, furniture, files and textbooks and damaged grade R equipment.
Condemning the incident, education MEC Viola Motsumi said: “This is extremely sad and disturbing. It is disturbing there are still communities in this province who vent their anger by burning school property. A school is a centre of knowledge for the community. How do we expect pupils to acquire information when we burn schools?”
“Pupils have lost five days of learning and teaching. We have lost all the records of pupils due to this horrible incident. We condemn this incident in the strongest terms and call for the immediate arrest of all those behind the fire.”
Molokwane said counsellors from the department has been put on standby to counsel pupils and teachers as soon as teaching and learning resumes.
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