New hope for school after they receive ablution block
Baranuka Secondary School in Lulekani has started the year on a positive note after they were presented with a new ablution block on Friday, January 26.
The facility has ten flushing toilets for girls, and on the opposite side, six toilets for boys and four urinals. Both sections have six wash basins. The funds to build the ablution block were donated by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) in collaboration with Imbatha Solutions. The school principal, Nkhensani Mahlaule, told the Herald that the ablution block would restore the dignity of the learners as they only had four units consisting of pit toilets for both girls and boys.
“Our school has over 1600 learners, and during breaks, learners queued at the toilets taking turns; we had to allow some learners to go home to use their family’s toilets. “We tried to engage with the Department of Education to get flushing toilets, but it never materialised. “We then looked for our sponsors and are grateful to the donors. This will enable us to work more efficiently,” she said.
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Mahlaule also said the school faces many challenges and needs an administration block, library, scientific laboratory, sports gear for learners, and calculators for maths learners. “During exams you find learners borrowing a neighbour’s calculator on the day of the exam, which makes them fail as they are unfamiliar with it.” She further stated that they also need an ablution block for teachers.
The school has 51 teachers who use a two-unit facility for males and two units for females. “We appeal to businesses to help with the needs, this will help our school function well,” she added. Baranuka attained tenth place with a 56.04% pass rate in the Lulekani Circuit in the 2023 matric exams. Last year, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality Mayor Merriam Malatji adopted the school after it obtained a pass rate of 38.9% in 2022.
