Parents take a stand against poor facilities at a Mtubatuba school
One aggrieved parent said they were forced to shut down the school for two days last year owing to a lack of water and to unhygienic conditions
SINCE the reopening of schools two weeks ago, teaching at Echwebeni Primary School in the Nkundusi Reserve outside Mtubatuba could not begin because of poor ablution facilities.
Parents refused to allow their children to return to school, arguing they would be exposed to the coronavirus and other diseases by using ‘contaminated toilets full of maggots’.
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One aggrieved parent, Derrick Dlamini, said parents were forced to shut down the school for two days last year because of a lack of water and the unhygienic condition of the toilet facilities.
‘Engagements with the uMkhanyakude district education office about these issues eventually resulted in the provision of water and mobile toilets.
‘The problem now is the toilets are not cleaned regularly, and when they are, they don’t use strong chemicals to kill the maggots. The smell is terrible.
‘To add to the problem, the toilets do not have doors, which causes much embarrassment when pupils have to use the facilities,’ Dlamini said.
He said nobody wants to disrupt teaching and learning at the school, but the community felt the Department of Education has betrayed them.
‘We have been quiet and patient up till now, even when the department failed to honour its promises of renovating the school.
‘Our children have a constitutional right to be taught in an environment conducive to learning.
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SGB Chairperson, Fikezweni Nkwanyana, said they have since persuaded parents to allow their children to return to class, even though the ablution issue must still be resolved.
‘Our biggest challenge is that when we speak to the education department, they point fingers of accusation to other departments. We are confused about who really is responsible for fixing the toilets.’
KZN Department of Education spokesperson, Muzi Mahlambi, promised that the department would attend to the toilet crisis.
‘This is non-negotiable. We can’t allow a school to reopen without proper toilet facilities and water supply, especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
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