Striking over stationery

The students who come from different provinces around South Africa left their homes to seek a better education.

Half of the students are totally blind while others are partially blind.

According to the students’ representative, Michael Ndlovu, when they registered with the school they were promised that they would receive their stationery, study material including laptops in January but the management failed to keep its promises as, he says, they still do not have stationery.

The students were also crying about their matric registration, saying the school also failed to get them registered for their matric exams despite the fact that they were told that an official from the department of education would visit them last Friday for their registration.

“Last Friday was the closing day for the matric registration and we were left out, wondering what our future will be without a matric certificate,” said a disappointed Ndlovu.

He added that some of the students receive bursaries from the metro and they are worried about what will happen next, since they are experiencing problems with their school.

Responding to the students’ grievances, the school’s CEO, Emmanuel Mphotsoli Mndebele, said he is surprised that the students took to the streets complaining about the things that he explained to them last Wednesday.

“I explained to them that Blind SA is still busy with our material as we are not the only school that depends on their assistance in getting our study material,” said Mndebele.

He said that last week he went to Blind SA’s offices to check how far they are with their material and he was promised that it will be ready as soon as possible.

However, Mndebele said the students who are partially blind did receive the books and pens and they are still waiting for the braille books for those who are totally blind.

Giving his response regarding the matric registration issue, Mndebele said the official from the education department came into their school on Friday and when the students were called from their residential places, they refused to come.

“None of the students came to fill in the matric registration forms,” said Mndebele.

He continued to say that the official came back again on Monday morning at 8am to register the students and to his surprise none of the students were at school by 9am and the official had to leave to go to other schools,” Mndebele said.

He said the behaviour of the students worries him as it also affects their future.

Mndebele said that when he confronted the students about not being at school at 8am, the response that he got from the students was that the official should have waited for them until they arrived at school to fill in the forms.