Hon. Freddy Sonakile and Hon. Karabo Magagane were approached by concerned parents regarding issues at Ikageleng High School.

Following their school readiness monitoring visits to neighboring schools in the Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality, Hon. Freddy Sonakile and Hon. Karabo Magagane were approached by concerned parents regarding issues at Ikageleng High School.

During the engagement with the parents, SGB Chairperson, Ward Councillor and other Community Leaders, it emerged that the school had convened a meeting on December 5, 2024, to announce the immediate phasing out of English Home Language and Afrikaans First Additional Language. As a result, when the 2025 academic year began, learners enrolled in these subjects were turned away. Parents were advised to transfer their children to Zeerust Combined School.

This posed significant challenges for parents as Zeerust Combined is located in town, requiring transport expenses, school fees, and no access to the national school feeding scheme. Additionally, the school could not accommodate all the displaced learners due to space constraints.

Upon hearing these concerns, the Honourable Members met with the Deputy Principal and the School Management Team. They revealed that the decision to phase out the languages had been imposed on them without prior consultation or adequate preparation.

The Honourable Members immediately engaged the Department of Education, requesting the District Director to address the situation. District Director Mr. Daliwonga Nhlabathi acknowledged that the decision was premature, poorly planned, and should have been implemented gradually. It was subsequently agreed that the status quo at the school would be reinstated.

The Honourable Members, together with the Department, addressed the community, informing parents that their children could return to school the next day, with teaching and learning resuming as normal.
The Members expressed their gratitude to the community for maintaining calm, the School Management Team for their cooperation, and the Department for its swift intervention. They committed to revisiting the school soon to monitor progress in teaching and learning.

The Members also raised concerns about incomplete infrastructure projects at the school. A contractor, appointed in April 2023 to renovate the school, had failed to complete the work by the December 2023 deadline. As a result, Grade 8 and 9 learners currently have no classrooms. The Honourable Members emphasized that they would prioritize this issue with the Department of Public Works, advocating for the contract to be revoked and a more reliable contractor appointed.