By Levy Masiteng
Learners at Makgori Primary School in North West were expected to return to class on Wednesday after teaching was disrupted by protests over dilapidated infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, the provincial education department said.
The department said a high-level delegation met concerned parents and community members in Makgori Village, in the Ratlou Local Municipality, on Tuesday to address the crisis at the school.
It said measures were being put in place to fill a vacant teaching post, particularly for Natural Sciences and Technology, to help stabilise teaching in the first term of 2026. It also said the school would implement a catch-up plan, including extra classes, to recover lost learning time.
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Parents and community members had raised concerns about deteriorating infrastructure and staff shortages, which they said were undermining teaching and learning conditions. Parents shut the school for about a week over the issues.
The department said a maintenance contractor had already been appointed and would be formally introduced to the community at the start of the 2026/27 financial year to begin major renovations.
North West Education MEC Viola Motsumi said the department was aware of the community’s concerns and had assigned officials to intervene.
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“We are fully aware of their challenges, and I have delegated a team of officials to address these issues,” Motsumi said.