Download PDFAs the 2025 academic year has begun, concerns surrounding infrastructure, availability of teaching resources, and teachers’ preparedness have raised questions about the readiness of public schools to provide quality education. With the poor public education system, we looked at the state of readiness of schools in Thokoza. This article investigates the challenges and achievements in Kathorus (Katlehong, Thokoza, and Vosloorus) schools as they start the 2025 academic year.
Karibu! went around Kathorus schools in Ekurhuleni, East of Johannesburg, to learn about the current school setting and the initiatives implemented for the new academic year.
At Thuto Lesedi Secondary School, Nombulelo Mthimkulu, a concerned parent, believes public schools are never ready. She says there’s always a shortage of teacher and school resources such as textbooks and computers that plays a significant role in teaching children. Amongst her concerns, she mentions the overcrowded classrooms that hinder teachers from helping learners individually. The inability of learners and teachers to have time individually, results in weekend classes and that time should be used to rest and prepare for the week ahead, adds Mthimkhulu.
The state of school infrastructure in Katlehong is a big concern, with serious learning implications for students. Broken windows, a lack of furniture, and a lack of library facilities are just a few of the issues at local schools.
During the rainy season, learners are often forced to endure the discomfort of being rained on in class. “It’s difficult to focus when you’re getting wet,” said one learner from Buhlebuzile Secondary School, who wished to remain anonymous.
The scarcity of tables and chairs in schools is another important challenge. Learners often carry their chairs with them when changing classes, resulting in unnecessary disruptions and wasted time. “We have to carry our chairs from one class to another because there aren’t enough in the next class,” the learner explained. Also, there are a few functional libraries in many Katlehong schools, and the lack of recent or relevant books at schools seriously deprives learners of reading and writing skills from an early age.
Thato Tshabalala, a matric learner from Tiisetsong Secondary School this year, applauded her school for measures put in place for the 2025 academic year. She says from the first week, they had their timetable, there’s already a programme put in place for weekend classes and there are a few new assistant teachers to help with the load. Tshabalala says, that since the schools opened, there’s no record of students short of stationery in her class, especially stationery that’s provided by the school, and with the weekend timetable, the feeding scheme has also been made aware that it is to provide for those classes too, she added.
Miss Vukeya, a teacher from Nqubela Primary School, mentioned that they had a teacher’s workshop on 21 January 2025. This workshop helped them prepare for the school’s curriculum for the year. ” Indeed, schools are ready,” the teacher said, and the necessary stationery has been distributed to learners. The school governing body has also had its first meeting.
As the 2025 academic year commences, schools still face many challenges in ensuring readiness. While some progress is in place to ensure the first day of school starts smoothly, much work needs to be done. The Department of Basic Education, teachers, and the community must continue to work collectively to prioritise the needs of the learners and provide a safe learning environment. In the end, the success of the 2025 academic year will depend on the collective efforts of everyone.
This article was submitted on 21 January 2025. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
