From the closure of a district education office due to a rental dispute to challenges regarding infrastructure and security at schools, the academic year has got off to a rocky start for some in the Eastern Cape.
In one of several recent blows for schooling in the province, Humansdorp’s district education offices have been closed this year after the owner of the building kicked officials out because the department allegedly owed R2.6m.
The situation has left some children and teachers frustrated as they struggle to navigate challenges ranging from pupil placement to the filing of reports while officials work from home.
Meanwhile, in Gqeberha, staff at De Vos Malan Primary School in Schauderville are hoping authorities will assist in hiring additional security after a man, who had been chased by police, jumped into the school premises on Friday, leaving pupils and staff terrified.
And adding to the air of dread and despondency is the realisation by several Nelson Mandela Bay schools that they will not receive much-needed infrastructure upgrades anytime soon, according to the recently released provincial 2026 school readiness report.
Regarding the office closure, Humansdorp Senior Secondary School governing body chair Ben Ruiters said parents in the Sarah Baartman education district needed urgent assistance for the placement of their children.
“They don’t know where to go now,” Ruiters said.
“Parents need help.”
The school is located in a community grappling with gangsterism and crime.
Pupil Liyolo Wakeni, 18, was stabbed to death at the school premises in 2025, which caused ongoing fear among pupils.
Eastern Cape education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima confirmed the Humansdorp offices had been closed.
“A team has been dispatched to work with the district to ensure this matter is fast-tracked and resolved,” Mtima said.
He said a decision had been taken to reroute parents to circuit management centres for assistance.
“District staff were scheduled to work at circuit offices and would be reporting to their respective managers,” he said.
“Parents should ask at schools about their nearest circuit offices to get assistance.”
Back in the Bay, in what was described as a cat-and-mouse situation involving the police, a man suspected of having committed a robbery was found hiding in the ceiling of a classroom block at De Vos Malan Primary on Friday.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed the arrest.
“SAPS Gelvandale were close to the school on the lookout for suspected robbers,” Beetge said.
“On approaching one man, the suspect ran into the school yard.
“He ran into the building and climbed into the ceiling of one of the classrooms.”
Beetge said the ceiling had been damaged in the process.
“Police got him out of the ceiling and [he] was arrested on charges of trespassing and malicious damage to property,” he said.
“He was cleared on the suspicion of robbery complaint.”
Ulrich Erasmus, 30, appeared in court on Monday in connection with the charges.
It was unclear whether he had been released or remained in custody.
De Vos Malan school governing body member Monique Stuurman said they were waiting for the department to determine whether an additional security guard would be hired.
Principal Edwin Smith said the incident had left the school’s 21 teachers and about 800 pupils traumatised.
“Teachers ensured that all pupils were safe, unharmed and accounted for,” Smith wrote in a letter to parents.
“All pupils were calmly moved to the A-block where they sat together under the supervision of the teachers.
“They were kept calm, had their lunch and were escorted to the toilet if they needed it.
“However, school was dismissed early.
“This was communicated to parents via WhatsApp groups.”
Stuurman said the school had one guard who had been manning the main entrance at the time of the incident.
The school was only alerted that an intruder had entered its premises by the members of a community forum who had also given chase.
Erasmus said the trespasser had jumped over the palisade fence at the back of the school at the corner of Lawler and Searle roads.
“There are no eyes that side,” Stuurman said.
She said he had then made his way into the D-block, which was not occupied.
Stuurman said they were following department procedures to ensure security was beefed up.
“It is up to the department to give us more eyes,” she said.
“We are a no-fee school.
“We do what we can with the little that we can get.”
Mtima said the De Vos Malan incident was a “one-in-a-million” occurrence and that the department was in the process of rolling out cameras for schools in the district.
This programme, he said, had been launched by Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade at Cillié High School in Sydenham in 2024 in a bid to curb criminal activities in schools.
“What we have done in Nelson Mandela Bay is to ensure that schools have surveillance cameras,” Mtima said.
This came as it was discovered that several other institutions would not be receiving funding for much-needed upgrades and renovations.
According to the 2026 school readiness report, only two schools — David Livingstone High and Reuben Birin Special School — appear to have been allocated funding for infrastructure in the 2025/2026 financial year.
David Livingstone was allocated R17.1m and R63.1m was set aside for Reuben Birin.
Greenville Primary governing body chair Karen Bowers said nothing had been communicated to the school regarding the allocated budgets.
The school made headlines last week for its shocking infrastructure decay.
During a visit by the select committee on education and creative industries in 2025, it was apparently agreed that funding would be made available to provide classrooms at the school.
Bowers decried the state of the facilities, which she said were not conducive for teaching and learning for the 175 pupils and six teachers.
According to Bowers, the committee members visited the school in October.
“Up until today, no assistance has been forthcoming,” she said.
“With the repeated break-ins at the school, the problem has become worse, with essential resources and equipment being stolen and damaged.”
Bowers said they urgently needed the department to create a secure environment.
“They can perhaps build us mobile classes so we can move out of this building.
“We just hope they will give us security so ... teachers can teach in a proper environment and our children feel that they are being looked after by the department.”
In a statement in November, the committee said it would demand accountability from the department.
Mtima said the department’s readiness report focused on this financial year, which would come to an end in March.
The budget for the next financial year had not been allocated.
The Equal Education (EE) national council member in the Eastern Cape, Siyabulela Ncetani, said several schools were in a mess as the government failed to provide continuous oversight and hold contractors accountable.
“This results in half-built structures and sanitation projects that never materialise, resulting in the shattered hopes of children, families, teachers and communities,” Ncetani said.
He said a norms and standards policy was signed in November 2013 as a yardstick to measure what was expected for schools.
But this was affected in 2024 when deadlines were removed from the regulations.
“Now, in instances like this, it does contribute to the failures you see and the state of the schools in the Eastern Cape.
“What EE has done is to make the infrastructural project a campaign.”
Ncetani said they planned to have an annual round table discussion with provincial education authorities to table their findings and to hold them accountable.
The Herald
