By Thapelo Molefe
Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile has ruled out further disruptions at Bovet Primary School in Alexandra, urging parents to avoid protests that interfere with teaching despite ongoing overcrowding challenges.
Maile visited the school on Tuesday, following a protest by parents last week Monday over poor infrastructure and severe overcrowding at the school, which has nearly 3,000 learners.
Meeting with the school governing body, Maile stressed that while concerns are valid, disruptions to schooling cannot be justified.
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“We don’t want any school to be disrupted. There is no excuse for disruption for something else,” he said.
The MEC said the department is exploring ways to ease pressure at the school, including the possible use of nearby vacant land to create additional space.
“There is a piece of land that is vacant, which could be used to decongest, but we are told that the ownership is not yet confirmed,” Maile said.
He added that longer-term solutions include redistributing learners to nearby schools, which may require some schools to introduce Xitsonga and Tshivenda language streams currently offered at Bovet.
The visit forms part of a provincial effort to engage communities on education challenges, with Alexandra among 45 areas identified for outreach.
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“It’s a very difficult task. It’s not going to be easy, and we understand that we have to talk to the communities in order to resolve these issues,” Maile said.
The Gauteng Department of Education has acknowledged that overcrowding remains a widespread issue, particularly in densely populated areas such as Alexandra.
