Floors No2 High School in Galeshewe suffered severe vandalism during the festive holidays. Criminals gained access to the school premises and damaged the electrical infrastructure forcing the school to function without electricity.
Criminals forcibly removed burglar bars from classroom windows. All light bulbs and switches were stolen from the classrooms.
The vandals also poked holes on ceilings boards walk on rafters from one classroom to another.
An educator from the school, who wanted to remain anonymous, described how burglary had hit the school over a long period, “it started during the Covid-19 pandemic, thieves broke in and stole school furniture. Then the department of Education allocated funds to renovate the school and replace furniture. However, criminals still got access to the school premises through the damaged palisade fence. Vandalism has always been a problem but not this extend.”
“We prefer interacting with learners using information they can see, such as PowerPoint presentations. But now we can’t do that anymore,” she lamented.
The educator said educators are grappled with fear as criminals can enter the school premise anytime, “safety has become an issue, educators cannot work late.”
According to the educator, the school governing body (SGB), was approached and parents were informed at a meeting held at school. The matter was escalated to the Department of Basic Education. It is recommended that an open-view fence be erected as it is considered to be safe.
Geoffrey van der Merwe, the media liaison officer, said: “The Northern Cape Department of Education can confirm that the Floors No.2 High School continues to suffer at the hands of the community it serves. The incidents of theft and vandalism at this school continues unabated”.
Van der Merwe reiterated that the department has introduced various interim measures to assist the school in safeguarding the infrastructure from acts of vandalism and theft, including appointing security guards while the department is finalising specifications for constructing a specialised fence.
Meanwhile the electricity supply to the administration block has been restored.
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