The safety of learners at Ditau Primary School threatened due to outdated infrastructure
Ditau needs a major facelift.
The primary school based in Orlando East has been standing for over three decades and has produced exceptional learners coming from modest homes in this profound township, but now it is in a lip biting condition which led to the right wing of the stairs leading to the second floor closed due to an unstable condition.
The top floor of the school’s building is damaged to a point where the floor has cracks which cause water to leak down to the classrooms underneath this floor when they are mopped.
A school is supposed to be the safest environment whereby learners can acquire knowledge and explore their creativities as well without teachers having to always worry that a ceiling might fall over the pupils heads while playing, which might happen at any point given the school’s ceiling dangling over the second floor toilets; or that a second storey floor might collapse while learners are busy studying.
When approached for an explanation on the school’s condition, one of the teachers revealed that the department of education authorities was notified a long time ago of the situation and the school has been applying for a renovation which ceases to exist.
“We applied for the renovations and people from the department came, they sent in some assessors. What they do now is a rotation of assessors, different people come and ask for quotations and others come to ask the same thing but nothing concrete is happening.” Explained the teacher.
The teacher also added that there were some inspections done to the school and they did some “renovations” with board walls filled with asbestos which is now collapsing. The school has also received empty promises of temporary container classrooms that were said to be delivered before the national elections, which would, in turn, enable the proper rebuilding of the school.
- Accident involving a Quantum and a Rea Vaya bus result in traffic congestion on Main Reef Road [also read]
This promise never saw the light of the day as the school is still as it was —in a bad condition. “We have over 10 years applying for the school to be renovated because the roof was leaking and ceiling on the passage was collapsing.
“The walls were cracking as well. So inside here, we have cardboard walls, which are tearing off because it has been a long time”
The teacher proceeded to add that these inspectors came one time and demanded that the school’s condition is repairable, thereby installing waterproofing on the roof and white patches on the walls to close off cracks, most of these ‘repairs’ are worn out.
“They also repaired the toilets, but after 2 or 3 months, it was the same thing again—back to square one.”
Fortunately, there haven’t been any occurred danger due to the school’s poor state. But most aspects of the school’s condition remain posing a risk to the learner’s safety.
“Here on the second floor we only have one exit, due to the other stairs being in bad shape, we had to close that exit with a security gate.
“Now imagine if there’s an emergency that compels us to evacuate the second floor, how are we going to evacuate on only one exit?” concluded the teacher.
When contacted for a comment regarding this matter, Steve Mabona did not respond to the correspondence that was sent to his four days before the print of this article.
Follow Us Here:
Catch the latest news by visiting our other platforms:
