The school governing body of John Walton High School in Uitenhage has closed the school because of a shortage of teachers.
The deputy chairperson of the SGB, Donovan Buys, says around 300 children across all grades are left idle every day because of a shortage of teachers.
He says repeated attempts to get education authorities to address the issue have fallen on deaf ears.
Buys says a scheduled meeting with a senior education official failed to materialise on Tuesday, prompting parents to decide to close the school until the teacher shortage is addressed.
"We have tried to speak to the education department to give us more teachers. They promise us all the time, since last year. They told us we are enough. There are 36 teachers for 1 300 children in the school. We need 41 teachers to let the school operate properly. We called all the parents together and they decided the gates will stay locked until the Department is willing to come and speak to us" he said.
