The aftermath of the hailstorm in the Bohlabela Education District in Bushbuckridge has left destruction and a pause in some schools for teaching and learning as communities and teachers now pick up the pieces of what is left of the school infrastructure.
The Mpumalanga province was hit by a storm on Sunday evening and Monday afternoon, leaving at least 39 schools damaged, and three people dead. One of the deceased persons is a Grade 8 learner from Germans Chiloane Secondary School in the district.
Godide High School, situated in Rolle, was the hardest hit school as the roof of the Grade 12 classrooms used for examinations were destroyed.
Alternative measures have been put in place to ensure matric learners can write their finals exams without disruptions.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has thanked local pastors and community members for their support and understanding the importance of the examinations.
“As for this particular school, which is one of the worst affected, we have relocated the learners to the nearby church, where they are currently writing exams. They will be there until the end of the exams which is November, because there is no other option,” said Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the DBE who was in the area to monitor the situation.
According to the Department, majority of the schools affected are primary schools, and learning and teaching will continue at the schools.
“It is very painful to witness these damages, because we are having a serious infrastructure development backlog in our province. I have been receiving requests from the Bohlabela District about looking or relooking the schools that were built by parents. I am very hurt because in our plans we were looking to move forward, but now we have to move backwards and fix all the schools that have been damaged,” Mpumalanga Education MEC Cathy Dlamini. She was speaking while assessing the damage at Powerline primary school in the Cottondale Circuit in Acornhoek.
The DBE and provincial Education Department will be working closely to ascertain how much the damage will cost and begin fixing the schools that have been damaged by the storms.