Parents have resorted to shutting down a primary school after the education department failed to meet their demands. Corinth Primary School, in the far north of KwaZulu Nata, was shut down in early April because the KZN Department of Education was taking too long to fix the school, which was damaged during heavy rains in January.

ROOF CAVING IN

Patents who spoke to ZiMoja said that their children were force to stop going to school because the department failed to renovate it as they promised in January.

"We are sick and tired of sending our children to a school which has walls that are dilapidated and some classes collapsing due to the heavy rains. This is no longer the glorious school that we went to. They don't want to fix the damage that was caused by the rain. The walls and the roof can fall at anytime and no parent wants to risk losing a child as a result of the education department's negligence," said Zandile Ngidi who has a grade four daughter in the same school.

TOILETS DAMAGED TOO

The rains further damaged the school's toilets too."The school's teachers, cleaners and caretakers only come to school to mark the register and leave. There has been no teaching happening in this school since as the department has been playing hide and seek with us when we enquire and demand that they fix the situation at the school as soon as possible. No schooling will take place until our complaints have been heard," she said.

Jabu Mjoli prepares meals for children at school. He also confirmed the incident and said, "Ever since the parents decided to shut down the school I have had to stop ordering food because it was going to expire. Parents wake up every day to stand at the gate to make sure that no children go to school. They are demanding that the local department of education comes and explain to them why the school hasn't been renovated after it was damaged by the heavy rains in January. The department must fix this as quickly as possible. They must also thing about people who are in grade four and five. I am struggling with my cooking business at school," she said.

KZN Department Education Spokesprson Muzi Mahlambi failed to respond to our text messages and calls since Wednesday for comment.