Parents and pupils at Ndlhavheya primary school in Basani were overjoyed when three mobile classes were delivered last Wednesday.
Schools in the area were closed the past month, following protest action by concerned parents and community members. They were upset about the Department of Education's slackness to provide the eight classes the schools had apparently been promised. The additional classrooms were supposed to alleviate the overcrowding in classrooms.
The Ndlhavheya school caters for 654 pupils. According to the parents, each class has to accommodate more than 100 learners.
The school governing body's chairperson, Mr Sam Makondo, said that the parents now believed that change would take place. "We now have faith that the government will deliver to our needs. We believe change will be there, but we are not saying that they must delay the process of building us the promised classes," said Makondo.
One of the more content parents, Mr Clement Rivoni, said that he was happy that the department had finally listened to their concerns as parents. "The mobile classes have paved the way, and even though we are expecting proper classes, they have tried. It was difficult for the teachers to communicate with the learners during lessons because of overcrowding. We now put our trust in the educators to do their work in shaping our children's future," said Rivoni.