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DA exposes GDE failures as Danville Secondary School runs without desks or water
No desks, no water: parents step in as Danville pupils pay the price
On the edge of Pretoria West, a public high school has become the latest flashpoint in Gauteng’s ongoing education infrastructure crisis. Danville Secondary School reopened this year under conditions that many parents say are simply not fit for learning. No desks. No proper water access. And classrooms stretched far beyond capacity.
This week, the Democratic Alliance publicly accused the Gauteng Department of Education of failing the school’s pupils, saying the situation reflects deeper problems that have been allowed to drag on for years.
Parents carrying desks should never be normal
During an oversight visit to the school, the DA says it found scenes that left even seasoned observers shaken. According to the party’s Gauteng shadow MEC for education, Sergio Isa Dos Santos, parents were physically transporting desks and chairs from a neighbouring school so their children could attend class.
In a province where back-to-school season often comes with promises of readiness, this image struck a nerve online. South Africans on social media described it as heartbreaking, humiliating, and sadly familiar. Many pointed out that parents stepping in has become an unofficial survival plan at struggling schools rather than an emergency measure.
A temporary fix that became the norm
The problems at Danville Secondary did not start this year. In 2024, the school reportedly operated from a neighbouring school hall, with four classes squeezed into a single shared space. When a mobile school structure was later installed, it arrived without furniture, leaving pupils sitting on the floor for more than a week.
For families in Pretoria West, these stopgap solutions feel less like short-term relief and more like permanent neglect. Each year brings a new workaround, but no lasting fix.
Overcrowded classrooms and missing teachers
Infrastructure is only part of the crisis. The DA claims the school needs at least 12 additional teachers. Until then, some classes are reportedly accommodating up to 50 pupils at a time.
Anyone who has spent time in a South African classroom knows what that means in practice. Less attention. Less discipline. Less chance for struggling learners to catch up. Teachers are expected to do more with less, while pupils fall through the cracks.
One tap, mobile toilets, and dignity concerns
Beyond the classrooms, basic services are also under strain. According to the DA, the school’s toilets are not connected to a sewage system because the bulk infrastructure has not been completed. Pupils rely on mobile toilets, and the entire school reportedly shares a single water tap.
In a country where access to clean water is already uneven, this raised serious concerns about health, safety, and dignity. Parents have questioned how learners are expected to focus on schoolwork under these conditions.
Promises from the top, frustration on the ground
The DA says the situation at Danville directly contradicts repeated assurances from Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane that school infrastructure would improve. For parents, that gap between official statements and daily reality is where trust has broken down.
Questions are also being raised about why protests were needed before any attention was paid to the school’s condition. For many families, it feels as though crisis is the only language that gets results.
A familiar story across Gauteng
While Danville Secondary School is now in the spotlight, it is far from alone. Each January, stories emerge across Gauteng of missing desks, overcrowded classrooms, and delayed staffing. What makes Danville different is how visible the breakdown became, with parents literally carrying furniture to keep learning going.
The DA has said it will continue oversight visits and push for urgent intervention. For the pupils of Danville, the hope is simple. A classroom with a desk. Teachers who are not stretched beyond breaking point. And a school environment that treats learning as a priority, not an afterthought.
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Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: X (formerly known Twitter)/@Frans_mminatlou
