The Gauteng Department of Education has given the community of Ennerdale in Johannesburg until next Tuesday to reopen Oakdale Secondary School, or else it will be officially closed. 

"This is to inform the community that they have until Tuesday, 23 April 2019, to allow teaching and learning to resume, failing which MEC Panyaza Lesufi will have no any other option but to assist them to officially close the school accordingly," the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

The department said it had noticed, with disappointment, that teaching and learning were not taking place at school.

On Monday, a classroom was set alight at the school and police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, as tension were high in the area.

This after the community, frustrated over delays in renovations at the school, embarked on a protest.

Lesufi said the disruptions had a negative impact, adding that the department had approved a budget to maintain the school.

"It is disappointing that we must resort to drastic measures for our children to be afforded deserved education. However, we hope the community will yield to our call, and allow children to go back to school," he said.

Lesufi appealed to the parents and residents to be mindful of the fact that disruptions resulted in their children missing out on academic programmes.

"It is always a challenge to recover from any curriculum time lost," he said.