As schools reopened on Monday, parents of learners of Chweni Primary School raised their concerns over the school’s sanitation construction project. A development to remove pit toilets from the school was started last year. The project is part of the Department of Education’s plan to replace pit toilets with proper sanitation at rural schools.
According to Paul Nyundu, a parent, the contractor is allegedly not following the right process.
“We are not happy with the way they are working at the school. When a project like this is done in a community the businesses in that area are expected to be given an opportunity to benefit from the project. As a parent that has three kids in the school and they have to use the toilets there, I feel an intervention needs to be done. There is a lot nepotism and dishonesty.”
Jasper Zwane, spokesperson for DoE said, “The parents need to allow the department and contractor to do their work without interruptions. The department has appointed professionals that are responsible for monitoring the project. If it so happens that the project is not done properly, the professional monitors will not approve the structure.
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“This does not only delay the project, it affects the learners too. We need the community to understand that if they interfere, the learners are the ones that are affected the most.
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“In the past months we have seen community members interfering with various projects in the province. This has affected the completion time and unfortunately not all local businesses will benefit in all the projects. They have to take turns.
“We are currently discussing a plan to provide the school with mobile toilets while the construction is underway. The aim is to provide learners with proper sanitation”
