Grade 12 pupils from the Sukumani Kundani High school embarked on protest action two weeks ago, raising concerns over a shortage of science teachers at the Gogobole-based school.
The pupils claimed that the education department had failed to provide a teacher needed for science classes in the place of the previous teacher, who was transferred to another school.
"We are not happy (about the fact) that the department had failed to come and address the issue with us. They do not care that we do not have teachers. Our school's target for this year is a pass rate of more than 90%, but how can we reach that rate if we do not have a teacher?" one of the pupils said.
The girl said she was concerned about her chances of scoring As in all her subjects. She needs the grades to enable her to enrol at a university. "One of the most important rights is that every child has the right to education, and I feel that this important right is being ignored, overlooked or simply forgotten. This shortage of teachers is not helping anyone, but we are being deprived of valuable lesson time because the department is dragging its feet," she added.
The spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Education, Dr Naledzani Rasila, said that the principal and his management team were failing the school. He said that the management team was supposed to plan ahead to avoid a shortage of teachers at the school.
Rasila said that the teacher who had been teaching science at the school had been employed on a temporary basis. He was then offered a post at another school. Rasila said that the Sukumani Kundani school had two extra teachers. He encouraged the school's management committee to talk to the SGB about the problem.