Learning at North Park Primary School in Pretoria North has been severely impacted by a critical shortage of teachers and essential resources, including stationery, furniture, and equipment.
Despite being officially inaugurated by the Gauteng Department of Education, the school has allegedly been left to struggle without the necessary support, forcing staff and parents to step in to fill the gaps.
According to the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Member of Education Portfolio Committee Bronwynn Engelbrecht MPL, the school is short of three teachers and needs 15 teacher desks.
“The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has abandoned North Park Primary School, an English-medium and a no-fee paying institution leaving teachers, learners, and parents in a difficult position. Despite the school’s dedication to providing quality education, it operates with little to no government support, which hampers its ability to meet the needs of its learners.”
Engelbrecht said the DA recently discovered this during an oversight inspection at the school.
“Although North Park Primary School was officially inaugurated by the GDE, it was never provided with a basic starter pack to ensure smooth operations.
“Instead, the headmistress has been forced to use her funds to purchase essential cleaning materials, while parents have stepped in to donate stationery, a copying machine, and even a fridge.”
She furthermore added that while Premier Lesufi boasted in his State of the Province Address about quality education developing in townships and championing the BELA Act to open the doors of learning and culture for all,” the reality at North Park Primary tells a different story.
“His claims of investing in education ring hollow when schools lack even basic resources and qualified teachers, effectively closing these doors of opportunity for many Gauteng learners.
“It is completely unacceptable that a school classified in Quintile 3, which exempts learners from paying school fees, has been abandoned and deprived of resources by the government that promised to support it during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”
Engelbrecht said the need for teachers and parents to intervene to rescue the situation shows how poorly GDE is managed.
“It is high time that MEC Matome Chiloane shapes up or ships out.”
Rekord has reached out to the Department of Education, but spokesperson Steve Mabona has yet to respond to media inquiries.
Also read: Four children rescued from horrific conditions of neglect in Pretoria-North
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