Alrapark Primary School learners expected to return to class in phases from the end of the week

JOHANNESBURG - Learners from the Alrapark Primary School in Nigel are expected to return to class in phases from the end of the week.

Grade seven learners will head back first, followed by the lower grades.

Pupils have experienced three weeks of disrupted learning due to a protest against the school's aging infrastructure.

READ: Gauteng Education MEC commits to rebuilding Alrapark Primary School within 18 months

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane visited the school on Monday to meet with the infrastructure crisis committee to discuss solutions to the problems raised by the community.

The absence of a kitchen and nutrition centre for learners, no paving, uncut grass and no electricity in some classrooms.

These are some of the issues Chiloane has promised will be addressed in the short-term goals.

Meanwhile, construction of a new school will begin.

It’s expected to be completed in 18 months and during this time, learners will use mobile classrooms.

Education MEC Matome Chiloane said: "The mobiles that are currently here, we are going to renovate them. That part will be done as soon as possible, including the issues of dust, which they have raised. It’s dusty and we don’t want our kids to suffer from asthma. We will have pavements up and running but also the electrification of some."

He added that the construction of the new school would also happen in phases.