Johannesburg – Two siblings – Modjadji Letswalo, 13, and her brother Mojalefa, 15 – managed to pass grade 8 in the 2022 academic year, despite having gone seven months without a school.
The siblings were so long without a school because they could not find one close enough to their home.
With their hard work, the siblings have earned themselves an advancement to grade 9 at Greenside High in Johannesburg after they joined the school towards the end of July last year.
According to TimesLIVE, their parents, Monanye and Beauty Letswalo, launched an application at the high court after being unable to enrol their children at a school close enough to their home.
The issues began when information relating to their address on the school’s online system was incorrect, the report said.
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The Citizen reported that earlier last year, the siblings held a sit-in at the school after they were reportedly denied enrolment.
They were reportedly protesting the glitch in the school’s online system that hindered their enrolment at their desired school.
Its alleged that the Letswalo Siblings are not allowed to study at Northcliff High because their parents are currently unemployed. Its reported that they wake up every morning to go to school and study outside the school.Please RETWEET until the department of education intervenes pic.twitter.com/16xTss5XB5
— Blessings Ramoba?? (@BlessingsRamoba) April 12, 2022
According to Opera News, the mother said the biggest problem was verifying their address because the system gave them an address in Cosmo City, Roodepoort, despite them having never lived there. The parents reportedly lived in Windsor West, north of Northcliff, for 20 years.
After the parents lost the court case, Ben Mothupi, the ACDP’s branch chairperson for Freedom Park and Naturena, reportedly lobbied former Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi, gettimg him to accommodate the children at a nearby school.
According to the TimesLIVE, Mojalefa was pleased at progressing to the next grade.
“I worked very hard in the afternoons and over the weekends and am very happy to go to grade 9 this year.
“Our teachers worked really hard and provided extra lessons after school from Mondays to Thursdays in natural science, English, maths and technology,” Mojalefa was quoted as saying.
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The siblings’ mother said that support from the educators gave her hope.
“After looking at the programme and commitment from the teachers and the principal there was hope they were going to make it. Their support has been amazing and they really went out of their way to help my children,” Letswalo was quoted as saying.
“One of the other good things about the school is they keep you informed and give you updates all the time.
“It was hard for my children to catch up but they didn’t have any choice. They didn’t complain because they saw the importance of education,” she reportedly added.
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Compiled by Junaid Benjamin
