Mud schools will soon be a thing of the past in the community of the Libode District, Eastern Cape Province. This is after the opening of yet another school in the area. Gungubele Senior Primary in Zibungu village was handed over to the community in a celebration event.
Deputy Minister of Education, Enver Surty officially handed over the school on Friday, 22 November 2013.
The new school was built at a cost of R15 million and it replaced old mud classrooms that were built in 1992. It has now 2 Grade R classrooms, 14 classrooms, a multi-media centre/library and a computer room.
The multi-million rand school is part of the Accelerated Infrastructure Development Initiative (ASIDI) constructed by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to ensure that teaching and learning takes place in an environment conducive to both.
“When we adopted The Freedom Charter in 1955, we established that all children must have the right to basic education,” Mr Surty said.
Cynthia Nomabunga, a happy parent and Grade R teacher, said it was long overdue for them to have two Grade R classrooms in order for their children to learn in a normal environment.
“We had a small mud classroom where our grade learners had to be taught. Today we have enough classrooms in which to teach our children,” said Mrs Nomabunga.
MEC of Education in the Eastern Cape, Mandla Makupula said it was the responsibility of the community to accept the opportunity and look after the school for the future of their children and others to come.
During the event, Deputy Minister Surty was there not only to open the school, but to also to award certificates to Kha Ri Gude learners, a group of adults who are now literate through the programme.
“Today we realise that elderly people understand the importance of being literate and that it is never late to learn. We encourage them to continue taking their lessons so they can be independent,” explained Mr Surty.
