Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL.
Villa Lisa Secondary School learners in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, are being forced to learn in unsafe and undignified conditions. The mobile classrooms are rundown, with inadequate ablution facilities, no electricity in classrooms, and a severe shortage of furniture.
This is because of the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to maintain basic school infrastructure and provide the resources needed to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment.
The DA will submit written questions to Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile to determine why the school has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent and what immediate measures the department will implement to address the unsafe classrooms, inadequate ablution facilities, and severe furniture shortage. We will also seek clarity on what action has been taken following the recent alleged sexual assault at the school.
These shocking conditions were uncovered during a DA oversight inspection at the school. The school currently accommodates approximately 2,068 learners across 47 classrooms, many of which are mobile structures reportedly dating back to 2012. Most are in disrepair, with holes in floors, broken windows, leaking roofs, damaged door frames, and panels falling apart. Classrooms have no electricity and no firefighting equipment in case of a fire.
The severe shortage of furniture is equally concerning. The school estimates that it requires between 800 and 950 additional desks and chairs. In one Grade 9 class, 48 learners reportedly have only 16 chairs, while another class of 53 learners has just 15 tables. Moreover, the ablution facilities are appalling. The toilets, where an alleged sexual assault involving two boy learners and a girl learner reportedly occurred, are broken and offer no privacy.
See photos here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Despite having a suitable space for permanent infrastructure at the school, learners are still forced to learn in deteriorating mobile classrooms. This situation, however, is not surprising; the GDE has consistently shown its inability to construct permanent structures, averaging only six newly built schools per year.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government will prioritise safe school infrastructure, adequate furniture, functioning ablution facilities, and essential safety measures. We will take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and sexual harassment, ensuring schools are safe havens where every learner is protected and able to learn without fear.