Parents of pupils at Bopanang Primary School in Ganalaagte, North West province, have raised serious concerns about the deteriorating conditions affecting their children’s learning environment.
Water from leaking steel tanks belonging to the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality is reportedly flowing directly onto the school premises, causing persistent flooding that worsens during rainfall. Parents describe the situation as creating safety risks and rendering the space unfit for teaching and learning.
In addition to the flooding, parents have highlighted problems with sanitation, noting that ablution facilities are both difficult for young children to access and unhygienic. They have also pointed to broader issues with the aging school infrastructure.
One parent expressed frustration over the long-standing neglect, referencing the involvement of great-grandparents in the community’s educational history.
The North West Department of Education has acknowledged the challenges at the school. A departmental spokesperson cited financial constraints as a key obstacle, explaining that the annual budget often does not cover repairs for all schools in the province.
“We are aware of the condition of the school. The challenge is that sometimes it is the issue of the budget. So you’d find that in a year the budget does not allow us to do many or all the schools that we have in the province,” the spokesperson said. The department indicated that Bopanang Primary School has been prioritised for the 2026/27 financial year, but renovations have not yet begun. Parents have been asked to exercise patience in the meantime.
The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, responsible for the water tanks as the local water authority, has not yet responded on a timeline for repairs.
Parents are calling on the provincial Department of Education to address the structural defects urgently and on the district municipality to fix the leaking tanks without further delay.
The situation at Bopanang Primary School underscores ongoing infrastructure challenges facing many schools in the North West province.