Important South African school crumbling in front of everyone’s eyes
The Mayibuye High School in Midrand forces children to learn in unsafe, overcrowded, and undignified conditions due to severe neglect.
This is the warning from Sergio Isa Dos Santos, a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, who called for action to address the problems.
The conditions at Mayibuye Secondary School were uncovered during an oversight inspection yesterday.
“We found many Grade 9 learners wandering outside due to a shortage of space to accommodate them,” Dos Santos said.
“The school currently serves approximately 1,400 learners, with between 60 and 70 learners squeezed into a single classroom.”
Most mobile container classrooms are more than 2 decades old. Their ceiling boards have fallen, while others are hanging above learners and teachers.
“Most classrooms have no electricity. Their windows are broken, and some are infested with flies,” he said.
Some of the girls’ toilets have no doors. The unhygienic condition of the ablution facilities has also led to some girls suffering from infections.
“The school also faces ongoing vandalism and theft, with copper cables and taps repeatedly stolen,” he said.
Leaking infrastructure has caused water to flow across the school grounds, and the lack of a general assistant has led to increased litter.
At the same time, the school’s nutrition programme feeds only 350 learners on a first-come, first-served basis.
Dos Santos said that the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) continues to ignore the struggle of teachers and learners at the school.
“Since the school was established in 2024, the GDE has done little to improve its condition and create an environment conducive to teaching and learning,” he said.
“Even more concerning is that the department intends to introduce Grade 12 at the school from 2027.”
He said he will ask Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile to determine why the school has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent.
He will also determine why a new school was established under these poor conditions, and what measures the department will implement to resolve this issue.
Mayibuye High School photos
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This school is only 2 years old and already looks like this, many schools are 100 years old and dont look like this, the community must be blamed 100% and not any department. Destroying what hard working tax payer pay for is paramount to treason. Does the community want to go back to teaching under trees? Take responsibility and be accountable for your kids education, Don’t cry foul when you are the culprits destroying their futures.