Khayelitsha’s Isiphiwo Primary welcomes Grade R learners
Five-year-old Mbali starts her first day of school at Isiphiwo Primary in Khayelitsha.
By Ashraf Hendricks
11 January 2017
Over a million learners will start the school year in the Western Cape today. Outside Isiphiwo Primary School in Khayelitsha, parents of Grade R learners stood around nervously with their children, waiting to get their first day started.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said “We have completed three new schools and six replacement schools for the new year, along with 179 additional classrooms. The WCED will deploy 119 mobile classrooms, as required, to meet growth and shifting demand”. Fifteen schools are planning to be replaced by the province over a three-year period.
Grade R learners gather outside with their parents at Isiphiwo Primary school at the start of their very first day. Isiphiwo Primary saw about 60 new grade R learners this year.Lutho Fana (6) and her mother Sinazo during roll call at the school. Sinazo said that she was excited to have Lutho in school. Lutho on the other hand was nervous and shy.Pindile Mdoda (6) sits bored on his mother’s lap (Xoliswa) as a grade R teacher addresses the parents.Ayabonga Qwayi (5) said he was feeling happy about his first day in school.A crying learner is embraced by her teacher Zandile Makonxa after her parents leave.
