The Ntshangase family at Cosmo City Elementary School for the start of the 2023 academic year.
- Parents dropped their children off at school on Wednesday, kicking off the new academic year.
- Many students in Gauteng clung to their parents, weeping softly as they approached the door.
- Some parents had mixed emotions about leaving their children.
After a well-deserved break, the holiday season is officially over and parents across the country hit the road Wednesday morning to drop their children off for the first day of school.
The 2023 academic year has begun for schools in the interior.
While those returning to school were met with familiar faces, it was a new adventure for those beginning their school journey.
Excitement, anxiety and joy abounded for both parents and students.
At Cosmo City Primary School in Johannesburg, parents and students had big smiles. Other students clung to their parents, weeping softly as they approached the doors.
Mduduzi Ntshangas told News24 that she was hoping for the best as it was her daughter’s first day of school.
READ | Some schools use churches because ‘we don’t have enough space’ – Motshekga on the first day of the new school year
A proud Ntshangas said he was excited to see his son working for a better future.
Meanwhile, a mother at Sharonlea Elementary School in Randburg experienced separation anxiety as she left two of her children and her niece behind.
Marlyne Lifuwa and her daughter at Cosmo City Elementary School.
News24 Iavan Pijoos, News24
The woman told News24 that she was excited for the children but also anxious that, for the first time in a long time, she wouldn’t be able to be with them.
Another mother was teary-eyed as she said goodbye to her son, who is in first grade.
Parents and students on the first day of school at Tumang Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto.
Images of Gallo Images of Gallo/Papi Morake
She said, “I’m so touched. I’m trying to hold back the tears. He even looks so handsome.”
READ |‘I’m trying to hold back my tears’: Mixed emotions as outback pupils return to school
On the other hand, parents whose children have not been placed feel frustrated and hurt that they cannot leave their children at school.
Parents and students on the first day of school at Tumang Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto.
Images of Gallo Images of Gallo/Papi Morake
In Gauteng, some 1,300 children are staying at home after failing to find a welcoming school.
The Gauteng Department of Education said it was aware of the problem and was working around the clock to ensure all children were placed in a school.
Parents and students at Tumang Primary School in Meadowlands, Soweto.
Images of Gallo Images of Gallo/Papi Morake
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, who conducted monitoring visits to Cosmo City schools on Wednesday, said the Department for Basic Education was working with the National Treasury to deal with overcrowding as some schools had to make use of of the churches to teach.
