WITH the help of various local and inter national sponsors, Thobashana Primary School in Nahoon Valley received a facelift and new furniture for its pupils.
The school was founded in the 1960s by mem bers of the Rotary Club of East London to provide schooling for 40 children from the surrounding farms. Today the school is educating close to 300 pupils, mainly from Ducats township.
Rotary Club district governor David Briggs, who visited the school yesterday with other members of the club, said before the renovations the school buildings were neglected and the furniture was worn out or missing. Electricity connections were also not in order as the area was often vandalised.
The club and other stakeholders spent over R77000 on the renovations at the school. Some of the stakeholders that helped the organisation in clude Suzanne Pope’s Greek Marathon, Clarence Bobie QS, and Rotarian Rommy Naudé’s family and friends in Netherlands.
Briggs said the Rotary Club has over the years been assisting the school.
“A couple of months ago we visited the school with a team from the United States. The group understood the need of this school and we will be putting in money to help take care of other things the school needs,” he said.
Briggs said they wanted to make sure the school was safe for the children.
In addition to the renovations were taking place, the school received furniture from the East London First National Bank head office through Romex Ware house.
School principal Nomapha Ngodwane said be fore the renovations the school was in a state of disrepair.
“The windows were broken, the roofs were leaking and the floors were also bad. The teachers did not have toilets, we had to go to the bushes to relieve ourselves but now we have a toilet for staff,” Ngodwane said.
She said in 1995 they asked the department of education to assist them in fixing the school struc ture but nothing came of it.
“Our requests fell on deaf ears and if it weren’t for the Rotary Club, we wouldn’t be here now. We depend solely on them for the running of the school,” Ngodwane said.
Ngodwane said the school now had a security guard who made sure the newly renovated school was taken care of.
“Things are better now but we still need proper fencing and more furniture for the pupils,” she said, adding that the school now had lights after the club fixed their electricity connection.
Ngodwane said the department only sent them textbooks and provided scholar transport for the pupils.
“The school structure was falling apart and the department has never bothered to inspect the buildings and see if they were in a suitable state for the children,” she said. — poliswap@dispatch. co.za
Local school gets facelift
The school was founded in the 1960s by mem bers of the Rotary Club of East London to provide schooling for 40 children from the surrounding farms. Today the school is educating close to 300 pupils, mainly from Ducats township.
Rotary Club district governor David Briggs, who visited the school yesterday with other members of the club, said before the renovations the school buildings were neglected and the furniture was worn out or missing. Electricity connections were also not in order as the area was often vandalised.
The club and other stakeholders spent over R77000 on the renovations at the school. Some of the stakeholders that helped the organisation in clude Suzanne Pope’s Greek Marathon, Clarence Bobie QS, and Rotarian Rommy Naudé’s family and friends in Netherlands.
Briggs said the Rotary Club has over the years been assisting the school.
“A couple of months ago we visited the school with a team from the United States. The group understood the need of this school and we will be putting in money to help take care of other things the school needs,” he said.
Briggs said they wanted to make sure the school was safe for the children.
In addition to the renovations were taking place, the school received furniture from the East London First National Bank head office through Romex Ware house.
School principal Nomapha Ngodwane said be fore the renovations the school was in a state of disrepair.
“The windows were broken, the roofs were leaking and the floors were also bad. The teachers did not have toilets, we had to go to the bushes to relieve ourselves but now we have a toilet for staff,” Ngodwane said.
She said in 1995 they asked the department of education to assist them in fixing the school struc ture but nothing came of it.
“Our requests fell on deaf ears and if it weren’t for the Rotary Club, we wouldn’t be here now. We depend solely on them for the running of the school,” Ngodwane said.
Ngodwane said the school now had a security guard who made sure the newly renovated school was taken care of.
“Things are better now but we still need proper fencing and more furniture for the pupils,” she said, adding that the school now had lights after the club fixed their electricity connection.
Ngodwane said the department only sent them textbooks and provided scholar transport for the pupils.
“The school structure was falling apart and the department has never bothered to inspect the buildings and see if they were in a suitable state for the children,” she said. — poliswap@dispatch. co.za
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