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Over 2 500 Vuwani matric pupils increasingly desperate to restart their schooling

Over 2 500 Vuwani matric pupils increasingly desperate to restart their schooling
Photo by Reuters

26th May 2016

By: African News Agency

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There are no plans to relocate over 2 500 matric pupils in Vuwani and its surrounding areas, this as the area remained volatile and schooling had yet to commence following violent protests which saw more than 20 schools in this part of Limpopo torched and destroyed recently.

The Limpopo Provincial Education Department said it was hoping that a solution would be reached soon to end the violence before mid-year examination start next week Tuesday.

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More than twenty schools were gutted or badly destroyed after villagers launched a violent protest against the Municipal Demarcation Board’s (MDB) decision to remove them from the Makhado municipality in order to incorporate them under a newly created municipality.

Despite the wanton destruction and the threat of further violence, pupils, desperate to learn, have made the trip to school every day, only to find that there were no teachers at the schools and that no classes were being taught. This, despite furniture and mobile classrooms having been delivered to the area to replace the damaged infrastructure.

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Some pupils have tried to seek admission to neighbouring schools, but this has been rejected amid fears that if they are accepted those schools too will become targets.

Pupil Mpho Ramatsitsi said she had sought admission at two schools.

“They told me that if they take me, they risked exposing their schools to arsonists who are targeting schools and educators in the area,” said Ramatsitsi.

Ramatsitsi, who is in Grade 12, returned to Vhudzani Secondary School with seven other pupils on Thursday morning, but found their school still not operating.

Education authorities have no plans to relocate pupils, instead saying they have plans to implement catch-up programmes for pupils.

“We don’t have a plan to relocate pupils, we hope that the negotiations between stakeholders will find lasting solutions,” said departmental spokesperson Naledzani Rasila.

However, local civic organisations said schooling would not start until government heard their demands to remain within the Makhado municipality.

There remains a high police presence in the affected areas.

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