One of the young people from the Mnyameni locality in Centane has appealed to the Department of Education to reopen Dlulisa Senior Secondary School in the district. The school was shut down by the department in 2014 due to conflict among parents.
Cengimbo said he was a learner at the school when the department made the decision to close it.
“Some parents said the school should be moved to the Pali locality, while others wanted it to remain in Mnyameni. This led to some teachers leaving the school, and we were left with only five teachers, if I remember very well. We are saying this school must be reopened because our parents are struggling,” said Cengimbo.
He said parents are now forced to pay transport costs for their children, while some learners stay in cottages because they have to travel long distances to access education.
“What is painful is that most community members here are unemployed and depend on social grants. It is hard for them because they have to use these grants to buy food,” he said.
The traditional leader of the area, Chief Dumalitshona Dlulisa’s mother, Nothembile Rhoyi, said she knew more about the problem.
Speaking to the Express, Rhoyi said the school was closed because there were very few learners. According to her, in Grade 12, there would sometimes be only one learner passing the final examination.
“This led the department to shut down the school. Yes, I can agree that there were those who wanted it moved to another area, but after we sat down and came up with a solution, we are now on the same page and want it to be reopened. Our children are struggling badly because we cannot rely on scholar transport,” said Rhoyi.
She added that they even went to the Zwelitsha Education Provincial Office when the late MEC for the Department of Education, Mandla Makupula, was still alive to ask for intervention. “Even now, I am praying that it must be reopened because it is affecting us financially. We also want it to be a technical school so that learners can gain skills. This could help increase the number of learners.”
The Department of Education spokesperson, Mali Mtima, said the school had only three Grade 12 learners, who were transferred to Gobe Commercial School, which is 8 to 10 km away, in 2014. He confirmed that declining enrolment was the main issue. “There are no chances that it will reopen, but research can be conducted to check its viability, since parents are divided about the location of the school. The Pali area is almost 5 km from Gobe Commercial School,” said Mtima.
He added that the process could take time because research would need to be conducted, especially since the existing infrastructure has been vandalised and learners from the area currently use scholar transport to Gobe Commercial School.
