Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo

22 January 2025

Learners at KI Twala Secondary School are forced to share chairs and tables because of a shortage of furniture at the school.

According to some learners, fighting for a chair has become a norm. Having one to sit throughout the day is a luxury, especially for the lower grades, including the grade 8 learners, who are still vulnerable and unfamiliar with the school.

In most classes, four learners share two chairs and one table. Learners who do not get a table, use their bags or lap to write on. Those without chairs are forced to stand, sit down, or sit at the table.

Parents, together with the school governing body SGB of the school, have resorted to taking matters into their hands by implementing a strategy of contributing a certain amount per learner in order to buy furniture for the school, which is still not enough to cover the entire school.

With last year contributions, new chairs were bought, but there is still a high shortage as the school is overcrowded.

The Mpumalanga Department of Education did not respond when contacted for a comment.