After five years of four pupils crammed into a single desk or sitting on the floor, 60 desks have finally arrived at a rural school in Tsolo.
The community was so ecstatic that news spread in the Mdikisweni village before it reached the ears of Lower Malepelepe Primary School principal Noziphiwo Twetwa.
“I was so delighted and rushed back to the school .
“Parents, pupils and other members of the community were already there assisting and everyone was so excited,” said Twetwa.
The Saturday Dispatch reported that more than 50 Grade 1 pupils at the school were forced to sit on the floor because of the shortage. The few desks they had were shared by three to four pupils at a time.
Twetwa said although only 60 desks had been delivered so far, she could not begin to imagine the difference they would make.
“We will immediately be able to get those pupils off the floor, because they are the priority, and then we will also be able to reshuffle those who were sharing desks,” she said.
Twetwa said the rate of absenteeism at the school was high and she hoped the new desks would encourage pupils to return to class. She said they appreciated the efforts made by the department, but still wondered why they were forced to wait so long.
“We did not even like going to the media and Facebook because we do not want to seem to be fighting with the department and we did not want to paint them in a bad light either, but we were also feeling the pressure and felt we had gone through all the necessary steps, to no avail.”
Community leader Chief Sibusiso Majangaza said the situation at the school was unacceptable.
“What worried me most was seeing children being sent to other schools because no parent wants to see their child learning in such an environment. We really appreciate the department’s efforts,” said Majangaza.
Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said they were in the process of redressing the furniture shortages in all schools to ensure that learning and teaching took place in a conducive environment.
“Delivering those desks to that school is part of honouring our promise that every learner sits at his own desk because this brings dignity and ensures that pupils are able to be at their best in learning and understanding the school work,” said Mtima. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
Desks bring relief for cramped Tsolo pupils
The community was so ecstatic that news spread in the Mdikisweni village before it reached the ears of Lower Malepelepe Primary School principal Noziphiwo Twetwa.
“I was so delighted and rushed back to the school .
“Parents, pupils and other members of the community were already there assisting and everyone was so excited,” said Twetwa.
The Saturday Dispatch reported that more than 50 Grade 1 pupils at the school were forced to sit on the floor because of the shortage. The few desks they had were shared by three to four pupils at a time.
Twetwa said although only 60 desks had been delivered so far, she could not begin to imagine the difference they would make.
“We will immediately be able to get those pupils off the floor, because they are the priority, and then we will also be able to reshuffle those who were sharing desks,” she said.
Twetwa said the rate of absenteeism at the school was high and she hoped the new desks would encourage pupils to return to class. She said they appreciated the efforts made by the department, but still wondered why they were forced to wait so long.
“We did not even like going to the media and Facebook because we do not want to seem to be fighting with the department and we did not want to paint them in a bad light either, but we were also feeling the pressure and felt we had gone through all the necessary steps, to no avail.”
Community leader Chief Sibusiso Majangaza said the situation at the school was unacceptable.
“What worried me most was seeing children being sent to other schools because no parent wants to see their child learning in such an environment. We really appreciate the department’s efforts,” said Majangaza.
Provincial education spokesman Mali Mtima said they were in the process of redressing the furniture shortages in all schools to ensure that learning and teaching took place in a conducive environment.
“Delivering those desks to that school is part of honouring our promise that every learner sits at his own desk because this brings dignity and ensures that pupils are able to be at their best in learning and understanding the school work,” said Mtima. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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