Pupils were returning to schools in Khutsong on Monday after almost a month’s boycott in protest at incorporation from Gauteng into North West.
”In my school, learners are here,” said Khutsong Representative Council of Learners (RCL) president Sibusiso Kula, who is a grade-12 pupil at Babiri High School.
”We have missed a lot of time of school. We feel it is time that things go back to normal.”
Teachers were at the school, he said.
North West education spokesperson Charles Raseala said that 21 school days had been lost by last Friday.
Khutsong — near Carletonville — has three high schools and nine primary schools, with 13 700 pupils altogether.
Raseala said teachers reported for duty on April 12 but did not teach. The department then instructed the teachers to ”normalise” situation. A pupil boycott followed on April 17.
”The teachers said they would not teach until they were taken back to Gauteng, and community protests followed on April 13 and since then it has escalated.”
On Friday the RCL urged pupils to return to school.
Raseala said the department supported the back-to-school campaign as it echoed the call that the department had been making.
He hoped parents would support the pupils as mid-year exams were approaching.
”As soon as we are able to catch up, we should be able to remedy the situation.”
Congress of South African Students (Cosas) Khutsong secretary Thabo Moloja said pupils had responded positively to the campaign to return to school.
”They are going in numbers back to schools.”
The Merafong municipality — which includes Khutsong — supported the pupils’ call to return to schools, said spokesperson Seabo Gaeganelwe.
”We want to see a conducive environment created for learning and we want to see parents also supporting this initiative.”
Last month, the provincial department of education suspended three teachers and a principal for supporting the class boycott.
Merafong was incorporated into North West last year. Parts of the municipality previously fell under Gauteng.
The move evoked strong criticism and resulted in violent protests from Khutsong residents. — Sapa