Nonkosi builds school out of her own pocket

NO OBSTACLE is too big for Bongweni Village resident Nonkosi Ntloko who started New Start Primary School with her bare hands Ntloko, who retired from her career as an insurance broker and used her pension to put her children through university, said she had been inspired to first open a daycare for local children.

It broke her heart to see little tots dirty and starving on the streets all day, she said, while many of their parents drank at the local taverns. The daycare soon snowballed into a primary school and with 129 pupils now enrolled, New Start Primary School offers Grade R to Grade 2, with the curriculum received from the provincial education department. “I first started by taking the little kids in so I could wash them but then I decided to start a daycare. Because of the demand for a school, I then decided to stretch it to include foundation phase,” Ntloko said. “There is only one school to cater for these kids in the nearby villages but it’s too far for them to walk so they were forced to take a bus as early as 6am, which was not right because they are very young.” Bukelwa Mabija, who has three grandchildren enrolled at the school, described Ntloko as a pleasure and a godsend. “The school was a great help to us here in the area and we are so grateful to her,” Mabija said. “She’s so kind and even her staff members are kind. The children are happy too. It’s almost like they can’t wait to wave goodbye to us in the mornings.” Parent Inga Lumkile said since her daughter had been enrolled at the school she had learnt to read and write as well as sing. “They are also learning about the Bible there and it’s just wonderful,” Lumkile said. The school is made up of a collection of shacks which include four classrooms, a kitchen and a storage room. There is a single pit latrine to serve the school, with the younger children using chamber pots which the staff empty. Staff members comprise of a retired teacher as well as a group of matriculants who are in the process of getting their early child development qualifications. “Our toys are donated by a local church and an NGO donated the swing set and the water tank because we don’t have running water here. “I get food donations from the locals but I also ask for R70 school fees from parents but many of them take this money from their child grants, which is very little, so I sometimes months go by without any payment,” Ntloko said, adding that even without the proper support she would not close down because of her love of the children. “My own children bought me a bakkie so that I could transport the children around. They understand how much I love doing this so they support me all the way. Yes, there are challenges. Like right now we need more food, toys and a fence, but we get by.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za