Overcrowded Eastbank High School short of 1,200 desks as learners burn furniture
The Gauteng Department of Education has condemned the burning of school furniture at Eastbank High School in Alexandra, where four desks and two chairs were destroyed despite the school facing severe overcrowding and a shortage of more than 1,200 desks.
Eastbank High School in Alexandra is grappling with severe overcrowding and a lack of essential furniture, having lost four desks and two chairs to a fire set by learners. The Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, condemned the vandalism as a setback for the school, which was already facing immense pressure. The school, designed for 1,200 students, now accommodates 2,063 pupils, 863 more than its intended capacity.
Despite receiving 1,150 desks and chairs this year, Eastbank High remains short of 1,200 desks and 600 chairs. Maile emphasized that the destruction of six pieces of furniture is a significant loss for the already constrained school environment. The department stressed that the damaging of school property impacts learners who rely on limited educational resources.
Maile stressed that while learners grieve the loss of a respected educator, their grief does not justify the destruction of educational resources. The Gauteng Department of Education will pursue both criminal and disciplinary actions against those responsible for the vandalism, emphasizing that there is no justification for burning educational infrastructure, learning materials, or furniture.
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