NKOMAZI – The Silindokuhle Special School in Mangweni village is allegedly facing severe challenges that pose a significant risk to the health, safety, and education of its learners.
As a result, parents are sounding the alarm over the school’s deteriorating condition. The school, which caters to children with special needs, including those who are visually impaired and mentally challenged. Reports indicate that the school has cracked buildings and non-functional ablution facilities. Learners are then forced to use buckets and basins to clean up. There is also a lack of proper learning resources, and a severe shortage of educators.
Siyabonga Mhlongo, a concerned community member expressed frustration over the lack of progress in addressing the school’s needs, despite efforts to communicate with the management.
“We have been informed that only a few buildings need renovations, which is not meeting the school’s actual needs. What is required is a new residence, laundry facilities, and additional classrooms, not just renovations. As a result, we have united in support of a peaceful march. It will take place tomorrow to deliver a memorandum outlining the school’s necessary upgrades,” he said.
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Social media platforms have also been flooded with complaints from other concerned community members, who have shared their outrage over the school’s state of despair. “Just because they have special needs does not mean they should be living in such conditions,” one user noted.
“We’ve been complaining about the state of the school for years but nothing seems to be changing,” another user said.
In response to the concerns, the Mpumalanga Department of Education has promised to intervene. According to Gerald Sambo, spokesperson for the department, a contractor will soon be appointed to renovate and build new classrooms.
“As the department, we are aware of the infrastructure challenges. We are currently in the process of doing a site handover to a contractor, who will begin doing renovations at the school. We have also started the process of planning and designing 12 additional classrooms for learners with special needs,” he said.
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Sambo further noted that the department has also started the process of appointing four additional educators to address the shortage of teachers.
The school is one of 18 special schools in Mpumalanga, accommodating over 200 learners. As the department works to address the challenges facing the school, parents and learners wait anxiously for tangible improvements.
