Mount Edgecombe school due for a makeover

IN the heart of the luxurious suburb Mount Edgecombe lies the dilapidated and impoverished Siphosethu Primary School. One would think because of its location, Siphosethu is counted among the schools that are well resourced. And this according to Siphosethu principal Zabanguni Gumede, is the same assumption the government makes when allocating funds to various schools.

The school was built by a private company in 1983. Over the years it became a government school.

“Because of we are located in a suburb area, many make the assumption that we’re a well off school. This so much so that even the Department of Education has placed us on quintile 4, which means we get way less money than we need,” said Gumede. Quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools are not allowed to charge fees.

You may also be interested in:VIDEO: Avoca learners force school shut down

The dilapidated school caters for mainly – children from informal settlements in and around Mount Edgecombe. Grade 6 teacher Thobile Maphumulo said most of the learners come from very poor families.

“Most of the children here can’t even afford to pay the R150 a year we charge for school fees. Most of them don’t even have school shoes or even something as basic as a school shirt,” she said.

Things set change

Fortunately for Siphosethu things have started looking up. Recently a Mount Edgecombe resident Shaneez Ishwar was driving to work when she noticed the school with broken windows and peeling paint. A concerned Ishwar took matters into her own hands by approaching her employer, Gulf Drug Company, urging them to donate towards bettering the school.

And as part of their Mandela Day initiative, the company has pledged to refurbish nine of the school’s classrooms.

“The renovating of the classrooms is the least we could do. We are currently trying to rope in other companies to assist the school in any way they can as there’s a lot that still needs to be done,” said Ishwar.

Also read: Mandela Day initiative attempts world record

Department of Education answers

The school principal added that dilapidated walls and broken windows are not their only problem as they don’t even have toilets.

“As staff we have to share toilets with learners. We also have a problem with overcrowding. In most classes we have over 70 students per class, which means the department’s one teacher is to 34 learners ratio is doubled,” added principal Gumede.

Asked about the allegations that the school receives less funding based on its location, Department of Education provincial spokesperson Kwazi Mthembu said: “The principal knows where to report any problems they may have. The department has a lot of schools going through the same problems and can’t resolve any of them unless they are reported to the relevant structures. We will however look into the matter at hand and address it accordingly.”

Like Northglen News’ Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to keep up-to-date with local news