FORMER president Nelson Mandela and his family have been applauded for their never-ending love for education and working tirelessly to build better school s in the country.
This was said after a first- class school for Nelson Mandela’s home village of Qunu was officially opened and handed over to the community on Friday.
The Lyoness Child & Family Foundation rebuilt the NoMoscow Primary School in honour of Mandela who grew up in Qunu .
The R5-million school was built after the Daily Dispatch reported the appalling conditions under which the school was forced to operate within sight of Mandela’s Qunu home.
Pupils of different grades were crammed into one classroom while others fought over chairs or borrowed furniture from the pre-school.
The school, founded in 1991 by the community who built two classrooms, only had five classrooms for 228 pupils and due to the classroom shortage, teachers opted to combine two grades into one classroom.
The single desk and chair set had to seat more than two while pupils in lower grades had to stand during lessons.
Now all that is history. They have a world-class school which opened its doors to pupils from yesterday .
The school boasts eight classrooms, a principal’s office, staff room, inside toilets, a Grade R classroom, a kitchen, a sick room, arts and culture room, IT room, storerooms, a library, enclosed Grade R playground and another playground for the whole school.
In July last year the Lyoness Child & Family Foundation founder Hubert Freidl made a commitment to re- build the school and said it would be the first in South Africa built by the foundation.
Freidl said they started building in January using modern technology after Mandela’s 22-year-old grandson Mbuso Mandela approached them .
Mbuso could not attend the event on Friday as he was at school. However, Madiba’s great grandson Hlanganani, speaking on behalf of the Mandela family, expressed gratitude for the initiative.
“This is what my great- grandfather loves the most, education and children ,” said Hlanganani.
Education MEC Mandla Makuphula said: “It is a day of great joy.”
“This will bring change in our community. More kids will come to this school now,” said Noluzile Gamakhulu, 84, a founding community member of the school.
Acting school principal Lindile Matyumza and her predecessor Adelaide Madyibi were thrilled by the initiative. .
But Matyumza, who said there were only five teachers for 247 pupils from Grade R to Grade 7, said the education department would need to hire more teachers including those teaching IT and a librarian, if the department wanted to ensure full use of the facilities. —
Mandela school opens in Qunu
This was said after a first- class school for Nelson Mandela’s home village of Qunu was officially opened and handed over to the community on Friday.
The Lyoness Child & Family Foundation rebuilt the NoMoscow Primary School in honour of Mandela who grew up in Qunu .
The R5-million school was built after the Daily Dispatch reported the appalling conditions under which the school was forced to operate within sight of Mandela’s Qunu home.
Pupils of different grades were crammed into one classroom while others fought over chairs or borrowed furniture from the pre-school.
The school, founded in 1991 by the community who built two classrooms, only had five classrooms for 228 pupils and due to the classroom shortage, teachers opted to combine two grades into one classroom.
The single desk and chair set had to seat more than two while pupils in lower grades had to stand during lessons.
Now all that is history. They have a world-class school which opened its doors to pupils from yesterday .
The school boasts eight classrooms, a principal’s office, staff room, inside toilets, a Grade R classroom, a kitchen, a sick room, arts and culture room, IT room, storerooms, a library, enclosed Grade R playground and another playground for the whole school.
In July last year the Lyoness Child & Family Foundation founder Hubert Freidl made a commitment to re- build the school and said it would be the first in South Africa built by the foundation.
Freidl said they started building in January using modern technology after Mandela’s 22-year-old grandson Mbuso Mandela approached them .
Mbuso could not attend the event on Friday as he was at school. However, Madiba’s great grandson Hlanganani, speaking on behalf of the Mandela family, expressed gratitude for the initiative.
“This is what my great- grandfather loves the most, education and children ,” said Hlanganani.
Education MEC Mandla Makuphula said: “It is a day of great joy.”
“This will bring change in our community. More kids will come to this school now,” said Noluzile Gamakhulu, 84, a founding community member of the school.
Acting school principal Lindile Matyumza and her predecessor Adelaide Madyibi were thrilled by the initiative. .
But Matyumza, who said there were only five teachers for 247 pupils from Grade R to Grade 7, said the education department would need to hire more teachers including those teaching IT and a librarian, if the department wanted to ensure full use of the facilities. —
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