It's all systems go for schools across the country as the Department of Basic Education is well underway with preparations for the upcoming academic year. 

Pupils in inland provinces, including Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West, prepare to return to their school desks on Wednesday, 11 January, for the new school year.

Coastal schools in Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape will reopen on Wednesday, 18 January. 

The department says they are ready for the new academic year. Speaking to News24 on Friday, DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said all necessary teaching and learning equipment, including school books and stationery were delivered between September and December 2022.

He said the school management teams would visit schools in the inland provinces on Monday to prepare for pupils' return on Wednesday.

With schools opening in a few days, Mhlanga has noted with concern some of the events which occurred over the past year that resulted in the disruption of teaching, learning or damage to school property.

The year 2022 got off to a bad start when two schools in Gauteng were robbed.

The principal of Caiphus Nyoka Secondary School in Benoni on the East Rand was assaulted in front of her colleagues, and valuable items such as laptops, car keys, and petty cash were stolen.

Meanwhile, the general assistant at Leeuwpoort Primary School in Germiston was reportedly confronted by four armed men who held him hostage, while robbing the administration block of a laptop, music sound system, grass trimmer, leaf blower, grinder, sanitisers, nutrition stock, milk packs, and R250 in petty cash.

In the same year, several schools were gutted by fire which saw classrooms including tables and chairs being destroyed while violent protests took centre stage, disturbing final matric examinations. 

In a recent incident in Alexandra on Tuesday, a group burgled and damaged MC Weiler Primary School before fleeing with food and learning materials.

Bearing in mind these events, Mhlanga said social issues, including bullying at schools, crime, and community protests, negatively affect the department's work.

He said it is a waste of resources and unfortunately affects the future of the children of the same community where the schools are located.

Mhlanga said community members should take charge and make education a priority.

"The entire community [need] to play their part in protecting the interest of the children," he said.