Student movement, Congress of South African Students (COSAS) has led a large group of disgruntled school learners who took to the streets to protest against the Limpopo Education Department at its headquarters on Wednesday.
According to COSAS, the protest was prompted by the department’s failure to address several grievances that have negatively impacted the functioning of schools in the area. COSAS demands that the province must address load shedding's impact on education, the lack of classrooms, and the shortage of student transportation.
The student organisation expressed also concern over the fact that some learners have not yet been placed in schools. They are also calling on the department to provide learners with an alternative power source, such as backup generators in schools because they are concerned that load shedding has been impacting some lessons.
The memorandum of demands was then handed to an education official who assured the student movement and protesting learners that it would be passed on to the HOD and that there would be a response within seven days.
Last year, the Public interest law centre, Section 27 approached the High Court in Pretoria to compel the Basic Education Minister, the Limpopo Education MEC and the provincial Department of Education to retract a decision to suspend building projects at public schools.
At the time, they were calling for the decision to be declared “unlawful and unconstitutional”. This came two years after Motshekga and the Limpopo education department suspended renovation, building and repair projects in most public schools due to the Covid lockdown.
