It’s only the second month of the 2025 academic year, and tensions have intensified in the Namakwa region. Parents of pupils at Nababeep Secondary School gathered at the school gates to express their concerns about overcrowded classes.
Parents were demanding that the regional Department of Education come and address them regarding the shortage of educators at the school. Over the past two days, the parents have conducted a sit-in protest, insisting on answers. They informed the school that their children would not attend until their demands are met.
According to the school, they requested two additional educators to meet the requirements of the 2025 academic year curriculum, but the department only sent one teacher. The school said there was an urgent need for a mathematics educator for the Grade 8 and 9 pupils, who number more than 130 learners.
“The school has been doing its best with the resources available to ensure that the learners do not fall behind in their studies. However, due to the recent disruptions, the learners are now at a disadvantage,” said the school.
One parent, speaking to NFM, expressed that while they share the same concerns as other parents, they were against disrupting the school lessons. They believe that when students return, they will face an overload of work to catch up, leading to a focus on completing assignments rather than achieving comprehension.
Loren Coetzee, secretary of the School Governing Body (SGB), said that after extensive discussions with the school, they have given the department until Friday, February 7, to respond to their grievances. Meanwhile, parents remain adamant about continuing their sit-in protests until they receive a satisfactory response from the department.
The situation arise amid other grievances expressed by the schools at the provincial level regarding the learning support materials they require. Both the school and the teachers’ union have expressed dissatisfaction with the allocation of supporting materials.
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It remains to be seen how the department will financially distribute their R100 million in emergency funding to address these pressing needs. In a statement issued on January 31, the department indicated that the funds would be disbursed throughout February and carefully allocated across several critical domains.
“The Department has already initiated the requisite administrative and procedural formalities to expedite the seamless allocation and utilization of these funds. Circulars have been disseminated to all schools with directives on expenditure of these resources to ensure maximized impact, fiscal accountability, and institutional compliance,” said the department’s statement.
The department has yet to respond to media inquiries regarding the grievances of Nababeep’s pupils.
