Pfananani children are back in classes

The pupils of Maanda Mahulu Primary School at Mulima Pfananani got back to class last Wednesday morning after an interruption of five days.

In 2016, the Department of Education erected temporary classrooms and supplied a few mobile classrooms for the pupils as a temporary measure while the department continued to build and finish the new school for the pupils. However, last Wednesday evening, a storm blew away the temporary classrooms, damaging most of the learning resources in the process.

The parents blamed the department for being slow in completing the new school. They even felt that the pupils should immediately make use of the incomplete new school, which is nearing completion.

One of the parents, Mr Patrick Maduwa, said that they were relieved that the pupils were back in class. “The thing that our children are now expected to stay home doing nothing had disturbed us a lot,” he said. “We thought the department was failing us, which was true. Why do they have to take forever to finish the school? Why do we and our children have to stage a demonstration before they could hear us?”

The school governing body's representative, Ms Tiny Muthelo, said the situation was back in order. The department had delivered nearly all the desks. “We are relieved that the children are now getting lessons,” she said.

The spokesperson for the Limpopo Department of Education, Mr Sam Makondo, confirmed that the children were back in the classes at the new school. “The department met with stakeholders at the school and they all agreed that it was safe for the learners to occupy the new structure,” he said. “The final touch-ups on the project will only resume after hours and on weekends. A disaster of this nature calls for such measures.”

Date:31 January 2019

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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