Premier Mabuza delivers a school for Piet Retief farm children
25 February 2014
The lives of the learners from nine
different Piet Retief farm schools will never be the same after Mpumalanga
Premier David Mabuza delivered for them a R189 million state of the art
boarding school yesterday [Monday, 24 February 2014].
The learners from Broadholm, Idalia,
Nongena, Samlee, Thokomala, Westoe, Zandspruit, Rivebend and Lithole primary
schools will all be absorbed and move to their new home called Izimbali
Combined School in Amsterdam, about 35km north of Piet Retief. The school is
also a maths, science and technology academy.
A decision to build a “small heaven”
boarding facility for the children living in the farming communities came
after Premier Mabuza undertook a visit to the farm schools around Mkhondo
Municipality with members of executive for education and public works
respectively. According to the Premier, while flying around Mkhondo with a
helicopter about three years ago, the co-ordinates indicated the existence
of the schools on the ground, however they could not see even a single
building, up until they decided to drive on the road.
It was then that they started seeing
shacks and mud-houses. While interacting with parents, it was clear for
Mabuza that there was no chance for education for the children around those
farming communities. He told the parents that he would build a boarding
school and that he would gather all the children to come stay and
concentrate on studying as he had realised that most of them were vulnerable
after they had become orphans and headed families instead of going to
school.
“I was so touched in such a way that I had to compare their structures to any Hoerskool, definitely those children were doomed to fail before they could even start going to school. I called all the parents and told them that I would take all their children and put them in a boarding school. They all complained saying who will look after their cattle, and that who will help them in their households,” explained Mabuza.
According to Mabuza, the so-called
schools had no learning material, there were many grades in one class, there
were few teachers and the learners walked long distances to and from
schools. He said there was a need to build one big boarding school which
would make an impact in the lives of the children.
“I asked the MEC if she counted these structures as schools because they lacked the infrastructure and the environment was correctly not for education,” said Mabuza.
Speaking at a hand-over ceremony,
the Premier said the new boarding facility accommodate will relieve burden
from parents as their children will no longer have to sleep on empty
stomach.
Lack classrooms, lack of learning
material and walking the long distances will now be thing of the past for
the leaners. For the first time in their lives, they will now have access to
hot shower water daily; they will now get to be taught inside a science and
computer laboratory, they will now even be able to create time for going to
the library to enrich their knowledge. The laundry facility at the new
school will also relieve them from stress and will make it easy for them to
concentrate on learning while doing other things such as playing soccer,
netball and cricket on fine grass as the school boasts with these amenities.
The construction of this boarding
school began towards the end of 2012 and boasts with 21 classrooms, science
laboratory, library, computer centre, 40 toilets, and an administration
block. The school was completed in accordance to the scope of work and is
ready for occupation. The appointment of hostel staff is at an advance
stage. The classes are furnished and they include Grade R. There are four
sets of the dormitories for boys and another four sets for girls. The
premises are nicely fenced and there is water and electricity. A new uniform
has been donated, all the learners from the nine schools will only move in,
in the next term in April. The teachers will also be absorbed.
“This venue is a like a small heaven. No one can complain I have given everyone in this community everything; even the teachers will have tea here. We are doing this because we want to stress that there is no child that will be deprived of education because we want them to look after the cattle. These children have their own future.
“The ball is in their court. I am aware that the parents are faced with poverty, but I want to say, when well looked after these children will change this environment their parents are living in,” said Mabuza.
The Premier stressed that he wanted
the boarding school looked after, the dormitories should be clean at all
times, grass should be nicely cut, walls painted and anything broken fixed.
“You are getting a big school, what a blessing. I want you to know that I am associated with good achievers, please do not disappoint us. This is your school, look after it for years to come. You will use it to educate your children in future. This is but one of our good stories to tell as this provincial government. It is only those who do not want to see who will say there is no good story,” said Mabuza.
Issued by Zibonele Mncwango
Spokesperson: Mpumalanga Premier
Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Office of the Premier
Tel: (013) 766 2453
Mobile: 079 491 0163
E-mail: zmncwango@mpg.gov.za