Desperate school in court bid

Fight to get more classrooms, teachers due to massive overcrowding

A Port Elizabeth school that has more than double the number of pupils it is able to accommodate, has resorted to court to try to force the Education Department to provide it with 22 more pre-fabricated classrooms, more teachers and furniture.

Alfonso Arries Primary in Chatty has more than 1 700 children crammed into a school designed for about 800.

The Legal Resources Centre in Grahamstown, which is acting for some concerned Alfonso Arries teachers and the school governing body (SGB), says there are 165 children in one Grade R classroom and at least five other classes with more than 100 pupils in each.

It is bringing an urgent high court application to compel Education Minister Angie Motshekga and the provincial Education Department to provide 22 more temporary classrooms and age-appropriate desks and chairs for 900-plus extra pupils at the school.

The school is also wants more temporary teachers employed.