"It is shocking to find that there are pupils who take turns to facilitate major subjects in the classrooms, because there is no subject teacher at the school."
Those were the words of the school governing body's deputy chairperson at Sukumani Kundani Secondary School, Ms Evelyn Ngwana, when she spoke to Limpopo Mirror. She stated that the lack of major subject teachers at the school was the cause of appalling, dismal results for the school last year.
The school is situated at Gogobole village in the Sinthumule area. At the moment, the school is without teachers for maths, maths literacy and science for all grades. "Many learners failed last year," she said. "How can we expect learners to pass when they have no teachers?"
Ngwana said that the maths and maths literacy teacher was deployed to a senior post at another school some time last year, and the school was then left without a teacher for those two subjects.
"It's not like the school didn't have a teacher from the beginning," she said. "But now many children failed last year, because they had no teachers for those subjects."
Dingaan Mashau (18), Meriam Lebepe (18), Gundo Khumela (18) and Fulufhelo Netshiavha (18) are some of the pupils who did not pass their grades last year, and they have to repeat a grade this year. "I failed maths and science and passed all the other subjects," Dingaan said. "Does the MEC for Education know that we failed because we were refused teachers? When we inform the circuit about a need for subject teachers, they tell us to move from Sukumani to other schools?"
On 6 February, the pupils and members of the school governing body marched from the school's premises in Gogobole to the Soutpansberg West Circuit in Ravele village, where they registered their concerns.
"It's not the first time that we have come here," said a Grade 12 pupil. "We were here last year, when we requested the circuit to ensure that we are provided with a science teacher. But they don't take us seriously."
The spokesperson for the Department of Education, Mr Sam Makondo, said that the post for a new teacher had been advertised and that applications had closed on Monday. "The school will interview applicants to find or select a suitable candidate," he said.