Seven classrooms at Tosca Primary in the Kagisano Molopo Municipality were reportedly set alight by community members.
The incident occurred following a dispute that arose when the Department of Employment and Labour closed a block of three classrooms due to concerns about the poor standard of the facilities. In response, angry community members attempted to close the entire school.
The North West Department of Education has committed to delivering mobile classrooms on Monday to assist with teaching and learning. This is in response to the destruction caused by the fire. The department recognizes the importance of providing a conducive learning environment for students and is taking immediate action to address the situation.
The incident has been strongly condemned by Viola Motsumi, the Education MEC. Motsumi expressed sadness and concern over the burning of school property, emphasising that a school is a centre of knowledge for the community. She questioned how students can be expected to acquire information when schools are being destroyed.
The Education Department’s spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane, called for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the fire.
The destruction caused a loss of five days of learning and teaching, as well as the loss of all student records. Counsellors from the department have been put on standby to provide support to both students and teachers once teaching and learning resume.
Tosca Primary School… Kagisano Molopo district . North West…
burned to ashes. Molora moloreng..
Allegedly the community is Angry..ANC .ANC.. keep on lying and undermining people… pic.twitter.com/Y2VVUnRAXy
— GM Sky. 👆 fc (@tladi_tladi_508) April 19, 2024
