THE Department of Employment and Labour closed down Thato Secondary School in Botshabelo following an inspection that deemed the school unsafe for learners and employees.
The inspectors found that the school had unsafe electrical installations, mobile classrooms that were not stable on the ground and broken ablution facilities.
These findings pose imminent danger and possible injury or death to learners and employees, the department said in a statement.
The latest prohibition is the third issued to the Department of Education over the last three years.
In 2021, Thato Secondary School was found to be non-compliant with some provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after inspectors discovered that some classrooms were not in a condition to be occupied due to cracks on the walls as well as falling ceiling and light fittings.
A follow-up inspection conducted last year determined that some of the classrooms were not safe for occupation as they were in a dilapidated condition and posed a safety hazard.
To remedy this, the Department of Education bought mobile classes which were being used as temporary classrooms.
The Department of Employment and Labour’s Free State provincial chief inspector Manelisi Luxande said the continued disregard for occupational health and safety regulations at the school was a cause for concern.
“This is compounded by the fact that through such blatant disregard of safety issues, there is inevitable harm and fatalities against the occupants of the school,” Luxande said.
“We cannot gamble with lives of the learners and educators by permitting the school to operate under such glaring occupational safety issues.”
The school was to remain closed until the Department of Education adequately implemented corrective measures to the findings as determined by the inspectors.
The Free Stater’s efforts to get a comment from the provincial education department were not successful. – Staff Reporter